theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on whether the (a) College of Policing and (b) National Police Chiefs’ Council has provided guidance to police forces on election purdah. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) ‘Pre-Election Period Guidance’ provides advice to officers and staff on maintaining impartiality and managing interactions with candidates during the pre-election period. The guidance covers principles of conduct, publicity, and appropriate engagement with political figures. It was most recently updated in 2024 and is available online at: https://www.npcc.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/publications/publications-log/npcc/2024/npcc-pre-election-period-guidance.pdf

The College of Policing also provide Authorised Professional Practice (APP) guidance in relation to election law and the policing of elections. This can be found online at: https://www.college.police.uk/app/policing-elections?s=
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Ayoub Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken with police forces to ensure the accurate collection of data on the abuse of older people. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office is continuingly working with police forces to improve the quality of police recorded crime data collected.

However, the safeguarding of vulnerable adults from abuse or neglect is a statutory duty for Local Authorities with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs) in England under the Care Act 2014. Information on the safeguarding of adults is collected directly from such Local Authorities and can be found here: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-tools-and-services/data-services/adult-social-care-data-hub/dashboards/safeguarding-adults-collection
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to have discussions with her EU counterparts on UK access to EU facial images data. \p Dan Jarvis: The Home Office is in regular discussions with European counterparts on a range of issues relating to law enforcement, including the exchange of data.
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Lloyd Hatton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on implementing the cross-system professional enablers strategy. \p Dan Jarvis: Professional enablers are a critical facilitator of serious and organised crime. In April 2024, the NCA’s National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) launched a cross-system strategy to tackle the threat posed by professional enablers; and steps taken towards that goal since include the following:

- The NECC is working closely with professional body supervisors, statutory supervisors, policing and other system partners to improve information sharing between agencies.

- The NECC is co-chairing the Europol Financial Intelligence Public Private Partnership (EFIPPP) work stream on professional enablers to improve intelligence with international partners.

- Work is underway to create a comprehensive guide on professional enablers that will support operational teams and supervisors.

- And there is further ongoing work to build a stronger evidence base around professional enablers through NCA/NECC research and analysis.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press notice entitled Home Secretary to announce major policing reforms, published on 17 November 2024, what her Department's timetable is for establishing a unit to monitor police performance. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Since 19 November 2024, when My Rt Hon Friend, the Home Secretary, announced her plans for policing reform, we have been working closely with the sector to draw up a new Police Performance Framework to ensure standards are upheld across the country, and to establish a new Unit within the Home Office which will identify and support force-level improvements.

Further details will be published in the forthcoming Police Reform White Paper.
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to better equip local police forces to ensure the safe return of missing children. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government is committed to ensuring that police forces are equipped to respond appropriately urgently when children go missing, and that missing people and their families receive the best possible protection and support.

The Missing Persons Authorised Professional Practice, issued by the College of Policing, sets out best practice guidance for all missing person investigations for police forces in England and Wales in order to prevent missing incidents as well as ensure the safe return of missing children.

The National Police Chief’s Council has also developed a ‘Missing Children from Care Framework’ which aims to ensure that children in care receive appropriate and timely responses when their whereabouts are unknown. This should reduce the risk of harm; help return the child to their care setting; and, reduce the likelihood of repeat missing incidents.

The new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection will also improve the response to missing children by developing best practices and delivering training to officers across a range of vulnerabilities.

Recognising that many children go missing as a result of county lines exploitation, we are also providing specialist support for children and young people to escape county lines and child criminal exploitation, and this includes funding Missing People’s SafeCall service, which provides a national, confidential helpline and support for young people, families and carers who are concerned about county lines exploitation.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 51561 on Electric Bicycles, how many people riding a e-cycle classed as a motor vehicle have been (a) arrested and (b) prosecuted for not having (i) legal approval, (ii) registration, (iii) compulsory insurance, (iv) an annual roadworthiness test pass, (v) an appropriate driving licence and (vi) not meeting mandatory helmet requirements. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office routinely collects and publishes data on arrests for notifiable offences, as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical series. However, data is collected at offence group level only, therefore data for specific offences is not collected.

Additionally, the Home Office routinely collects and published data on motoring offences that resulted in court action in England and Wales on an annual basis, as part of the ‘Police powers and procedures: Roads policing’ statistical bulletin. The most recent data, up to 2023, is available here: Police powers and procedures: Roads policing, to December 2023 - GOV.UK
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to increase visible policing in areas in Lincolnshire with high rates of road traffic offences. \p Dame Diana Johnson: On 10 April the Government outlined further details about our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, including by July, every community will have named, and contactable officers dedicated to addressing the issues facing their communities.

At the heart of the Guarantee is ensuring communities have a say in neighbourhood policing in their area, including through regular beat meetings, to help set local priorities, such as tackling high rates of road traffic offences.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much Fentanyl by (a) volume and (b) value has been seized in the UK in the last 12 months. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office latest published data on Fentanyl seizures made by the police and Border Force for England and Wales covers the period April 2023-March 2024 and can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales-financial-year-ending-2024

The Home Office does not publish the monetary (£) value of drugs seized. In the year ending March 2024, the latest published statistics show that police forces and Border Force seized:

Fentanyl analogues include Carfentanil, Lofentanil, Sufentanil, Alfentanil (Rapifen) and Fentanyl (derivatives of).

Border Force also release quarterly transparency data which include Fentanyl seizures. The latest available data are below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-q4-2024
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Rebecca Long Bailey:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment has been made of the (a) Equality Impact and (b) Human Rights Impact of the No Recourse to Public Funds condition on people following the 10-year settlement route. \p Seema Malhotra: The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.
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Richard Tice:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of Regulation C9 of the Police Pensions Regulations 1987 that removes survivor benefits on (a) widows and (b) widowers who (i) remarry and (ii) cohabit. \p Dame Diana Johnson: From 1 April 2015, the 1987 police pension scheme was amended to allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers who have died as a result of an injury on duty to receive their survivor benefits for life regardless of remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance she has provided to local authorities on grooming gang inquiries. \p Jess Phillips: The Government continues work to deliver meaningful change for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation, including group-based child sexual exploitation or grooming gangs.

The Home Secretary wrote to all local authorities on 12 March 2025 to inform them of our plans, including our investment of £10 million, which will support the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce in working with police forces to re-examine investigations and pursue new lines of inquiry where appropriate to deliver justice for more victims, alongside expanding the Child Sexual Abuse Review Panel so victims can have their cases reviewed even if it happened after 2013. This also includes a new national fund to support independent local inquiries and help strengthen local responses to child sexual exploitation.

We are currently awaiting Baroness Louise Casey's report following her national audit into the nature, scale and characteristics of grooming gangs offending, and we will publish more detail and next steps on this work, alongside Baroness Casey's report, in the coming weeks.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 52026 on Hinchingbrooke Hospital, what discussions her Department has had with (a) Cambridgeshire Constabulary and (b) Hinchingbrooke Hospital on resolving the land ownership dispute. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office has had no role in these discussions between the interested parties in relation to an ongoing land ownership dispute for a new access road to Hinchingbrooke Hospital.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the abuse of older people in included in the upcoming violence against women and girls strategy. \p Jess Phillips: This Government recognises the devastating impact domestic abuse can have on victims and is committed to tackling abuse in all its forms. We know that whilst anyone can experience domestic abuse, for older victims, abuse may be more hidden or compounded by other age-related issues such as mental or physical ill health. The upcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy will reflect the varied experiences and needs of different victim cohorts.

We are providing Hourglass, a charity dedicated to addressing the neglect and abuse of older people, with £532,121 in 2025-26. This funding represents a 23% uplift to the previous financial year and will provide helpline and advocacy support for older victims across England and Wales.
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Dave Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the National Jobs and Careers Service will complement the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025. \p Alison McGovern: We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. Our new service will move away from the current one size fits all approach, recognising people are individuals with different support needs and will provide better tailored support. The new service will be universal and must work for everyone, including disabled people and those with health conditions.

We are committed to working with users of the new service, and organisations representing their needs, throughout the design process to ensure the new service is inclusive, accessible, and works for everyone. We are taking a test and learn approach to develop and launch the new service. We will ensure the design of the new service supports the delivery of the Pathways to Work guaranteed support offer as we develop it.

The new Jobs and Careers Service is part of the reforms outlined in the Get Britian Working White Paper, which in total, is backed by £240m for 2025/26. The reforms set out within this are on top of other areas of support we are already progressing including:
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the number of people who are providing unpaid care for a relative or loved one in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The DWP does not hold data on the number of people who are providing unpaid care for a relative or loved ones in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing flexibility within Universal Credit to enable greater labour market engagement. \p Sir Stephen Timms: This Government committed in its manifesto to review Universal Credit, to reduce poverty and make work pay. We believe that work continues to be the best way out of poverty, and growing the economy and driving up living standards across the country is this Government’s number one mission in our Plan for Change. This requires as many people as possible to realise the benefits of good work, and Universal Credit has a critical role to play in achieving this goal. The review will consider changes to Universal Credit which could increase labour market engagement.

We have already taken positive steps through the Get Britain Working White Paper which set out the biggest reforms to employment support for a generation and we are giving people on health benefits the opportunity to try work by legislating to guarantee that work in and of itself will never lead to a reassessment.
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Rebecca Long Bailey:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to reduce wait times for Access to Work support. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work and are considering the best way to deliver that for customers. Delivery practices have been streamlined, and the number of staff processing claims increased. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work.

We prioritise applications from customers due to start a role within four weeks.

In March 2025, the department published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to consult on the future of Access to Work. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation.
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty on the work of her Department. \p Andrew Western: The Department for Work and Pensions treats its responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant very seriously and has a number of special rules and arrangements in place.

These range from National Insurance Credits for forces spouses who have a gap in their records because they have accompanied their partner overseas; to exemptions to residency tests to those who have served abroad; to a network of Armed Forces Champions in Jobcentres who provide expert help and support to those veterans who need it most.

As we reform and modernise our services, and make other changes, we will, of course, continue to consider the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will issue guidance on raising an issue of safety on a housing development where the operators are aware of the risks. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Health and Safety Executive already provide guidance on raising health and safety issues in a workplace or public space. This can be found on their website www.hse.gov.uk/contact/tell-us-about-a-health-and-safety-issue.htm
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed welfare reforms on the capacity of the Household Support Fund. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

The Government has extended the Household Support Fund by a further year, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. This will ensure vulnerable households in the most need can continue to access support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food. No decision has been made at this stage on funding beyond the end of March 2026. As with all other government programmes, any such funding will be considered in the round at Phase 2 of the Spending Review.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, on (a) benefits advisory services and (b) charities. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

There will be no immediate changes. Changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) eligibility and the rebalancing of Universal Credit (UC) are not coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.

We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to PIP eligibility on the (a) health and (b) economic security of people living with mental illnesses. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No such assessment has been made. We are taking action to focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs, by introducing a new eligibility requirement. The change to the PIP eligibility criteria will mean that people with a higher level of functional need – for example, people who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them – still receive PIP.

We are also taking action to get the basics right and improve the experience for people who use the system of health and disability benefits as set out in the Green Paper. This includes exploring ways to improve PIP assessments through digitalising transfer of medical information, using evidence from eligibility for other services to reduce the need for people with very severe health conditions to undergo functional assessments and improving communication with people receiving awards who are expected to remain on disability benefits for life.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.

We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Rebecca Long Bailey:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by how much has the level of funding for the Access to Work scheme changed in the last 12 months. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Access to Work expenditure data is published in the annual Access to Work Official Statistics publication. The most recently available data available is for the financial year 2023/24: Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2024 - GOV.UK.

The Department intends to publish expenditure data for the financial year 2024/25 in the next official statistics release which we expect to publish in September or October 2025. Forecast expenditure for this period, which includes some outturn data, is published in the Benefit Expenditure and Caseload Tables 2025: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of local authority funded early years places for children with SEND under the age of 9 months. \p Stephen Morgan: The department does not fund places for children under the age of nine months. This is because the earliest a child can take up their government-funded place is the term after a child turns nine months old.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the status is of each of the 19 special free schools that have been in pre-opening phase since 2021 or prior. \p Stephen Morgan: For those schools that have been in the pre-opening phase since 2021 or prior, the department is engaging with local authorities and trusts in the usual way and progressing work in line with our vision for the special educational needs (SEN) system.

As the hon. Member for Twickenham will appreciate, pipeline projects are at different stages of development and the department is prioritising operational decisions on those that are due to open in the shorter term. The department is, however, pleased to note that one of those 19 schools, Carew Academy, has recently officially opened and pupils have moved in as of April 2025.

The government is clear it wants to make sure all children with special educational needs and disabilities receive the support they need to achieve and thrive. The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need.

As with all government investment, special and alternative provision free school projects will be subject to value for money consideration through their development, in line with the government’s vision for the SEN system.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support pastoral teams in schools in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Stephen Morgan: Schools have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of their pupils and are best placed to decide what pastoral support to provide based on the needs of their pupils, making the best use of their funding and taking the best available evidence-based advice. The Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed an additional £2.3 billion for the core schools budget for 2025/26 compared to 2024/25. This means that overall core schools funding will reach over £63.9 billion in 2025/26.

Good pastoral support is important to achieving high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.

Specifically in relation to pupil’s mental health and wellbeing, the government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by 2029/30 by expanding NHS-funded Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). Expansion will be overseen by Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and these teams currently cover 26% of pupils and learners in schools and colleges in Surrey Heartlands ICB, compared to 52% coverage nationally. ​

The government will also recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.

To support education staff, the department provides guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing in schools. For example, a resources hub and a toolkit to help choose evidence-based early support for pupils. These can be found here: https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/.
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Gareth Snell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many organisations were consulted on the decision to cut funding for specialist software from the Disabled Student's Allowance. \p Janet Daby: The department engaged with disability experts who support disabled students to gather their feedback and insights on the decision to remove non-specialist spelling and grammar software from Disabled Students’ Allowance funding. These persons contributed in a personal capacity.

The department does not expect that students will be negatively impacted by the changes, because specific technology packages will no longer be funded where free-to-access versions, with the required functionality, are available to meet students’ disability-related support needs.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to take steps to (a) help reduce the pay-gap for supply teachers in comparison to full-time teachers and (b) create a pathway for supply teachers to access the Teachers' pension scheme. \p Catherine McKinnell: Supply teachers make a valuable contribution to our schools.

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.

The Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) Regulations 2014, which set out the rules for the TPS, determine that for teachers to be eligible, 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 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. This is because there is no organisation to pay both member and employer contributions to the scheme in these circumstances.

The department does not have plans currently to revisit these positions.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) phones, (b) laptops and (c) other electronic devices have been lost by their Department since 5 July 2024. \p Janet Daby: The following table includes the number of lost department-issued devices by the department since 5 July 2024.

Breakdown of department-issued equipment type

Number of lost items

Mobile phones

43

Laptops

16

Other electronic devices - please specify (headsets)

87
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Dan Aldridge:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of safeguarding legislation in ensuring that organisations outside of formal education settings comply with statutory guidance. \p Stephen Morgan: This government is committed to safeguarding children. We believe the majority of the out-of-school settings sector does a good job, providing safe and enriching education and activities for children.

Providers have a legal duty of care to ensure the safety of children who attend their setting and protect them from harm. Local authorities are also legally responsible for safeguarding children in their areas and, when there are concerns, the department expects them to intervene using the wide range of powers available to them.

In December 2023, the department updated the statutory safeguarding guidance 'Working together to safeguard children' to strengthen multi-agency working across the whole system of help, support and protection.

We have already acted to improve sector safety by updating the safeguarding code of practice for out-of-school setting providers and accompanying guidance for parents and carers, both in September 2023. We will also publish new e-learning for out-of-school providers and strengthened guidance for local authorities.

In addition, the department will publish a call for evidence in due course to help us improve our understanding of safeguarding in out-of-school settings and to gather information on potential approaches to enhance the safety of these settings.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support Designated Safeguarding Leads in schools in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Stephen Morgan: The department recognises the incredibly important role designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) play in keeping children and young people safe in schools. We support them to do this through our robust safeguarding framework, ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE), the statutory guidance that all schools and colleges, including schools in Surrey Heath constituency, must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

KCSIE is clear that every school must have a DSL who should take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection. Annex C of the guidance supports DSLs to understand the role and expectations placed on them.

The department regularly reviews KCSIE to see where it needs to be strengthened to ensure it continues to provide the support that DSLs need.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release entitled More girls to study maths under plans to improve pathway into AI careers, published on 6 May 2025, how much funding will be allocated in (a) 2025 and (b) subsequent years; and how that funding will be allocated between students and teachers. \p Catherine McKinnell: The Advanced Maths Support programme funding for April 2025 to March 2026 will be £8,200,000. Funding from April 2026 will be subject to the spending review.

There is no direct split between funding for students and teachers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with the Office for Students on introducing greater flexibility for specialist conservatoire-style performing arts institutions. \p Janet Daby: All registered providers are expected to meet the same conditions of registration. It is important that all students benefit from the same level of protection, no matter where or how they choose to study. The Office for Students (OfS) takes a provider’s context into account when making its regulatory judgements.

The OfS welcomes specific feedback from providers where they feel they are experiencing disproportionate regulatory burden to ensure they can find the right balance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Level 6 Trinity Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre will be in scope of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement when it is introduced. \p Janet Daby: The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will transform the post-18 student finance system to create a single funding system.

The LLE will replace higher education student finance loans and eventually replace the Advanced Learner Loan (ALL) scheme for levels 4 to 6. In the first instance, some courses will transfer from being ALL-funded to being LLE-funded upon the LLE’s introduction. This is the case for the Level 6 Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre, which will transfer and therefore be in scope for the LLE. For courses which are being transferred for LLE launch, the relevant providers, including the awarding organisation, Trinity College London, were notified of the transfer outcomes in March 2025.

The ‘List of Qualifications approved for funding’ can be found at the following link by filtering by LLE: https://www.qualifications.education.gov.uk/.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will provide additional support to schools in areas with reductions in per pupil funding. \p Catherine McKinnell: The national funding formula is used to allocate core schools funding to each local authority through the dedicated schools grant (DSG). Local authorities then create their own local funding formulae to distribute that funding among the schools in their respective areas.

Through the DSG, Lambeth local authority is receiving £241.1 million for mainstream schools in the 2025/26 financial year. This represents an increase of 1.9% per pupil compared to 2024/25 (excluding growth and falling rolls funding).

No local authority has seen a reduction in per pupil funding through the schools block of the DSG from the 2024/25 to 2025/26 financial years.

Overall core schools funding is increasing to £65.3 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, up from £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This includes additional funding announced on 22 May alongside the teacher pay award.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to (a) provide specific advice and (b) increase the level of support available for foster parents when facing abusive or controlling behaviours from their foster child’s birth parents. \p Janet Daby: The department is not currently planning specific advice or increased support on the issue of abusive or controlling behaviours from their foster child’s birth parents.

However, our investment in foster care does include sources of support for foster carers who are facing difficulties with family time or birth parents. This investment includes the rollout of the Mockingbird Family Help model, which offers peer support to foster carers and the children in their care. We also continue to fund Fosterline, which is a free helpline service for current and prospective foster carers.

The department’s guidance makes clear that children should, where appropriate, have constructive contact with their parents and other relatives who play a significant role in their lives.

Facilitating family time with parents can be challenging for some foster carers and our guidance makes clear that they should receive the necessary support, including financial assistance, to manage these arrangements. Additionally, emotional and other issues arising from family time should be addressed. Foster carers should be encouraged to raise any concerns they have with their supervising social worker and with the child’s social worker.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she made an assessment of the potential impact of removing the match-funding provision through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund on children in adoptive and kinship care before announcing those changes. \p Janet Daby: I refer the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead to the answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 49523.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will assess (a) attainment data which shows girls continue to do better than boys across all headline measures and (b) the potential causes behind this trend. \p Catherine McKinnell: Every child and young person should be able to achieve and thrive in education, regardless of their background. As in previous years, girls continue to do better than boys across all headline measures, and although the gap has narrowed compared to 2018/19, there is more work to do in order to close it. The department is committed to addressing this challenge.

We aim to deliver these improvements and reduce gaps in outcomes through excellent teaching and leadership, a high-quality curriculum and a system which removes the barriers to learning.

The government’s ask of the Curriculum and Assessment Review can be found in its terms of reference, and its interim report confirms the key areas for further work.

The Review is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, and the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve.

The Review is being informed by evidence and data in close consultation with education professionals and other experts, in addition to parents, children and young people, and other stakeholders such as employers, universities and trade unions.

The government will consider any work to be taken forward and any changes it wishes to make in areas not prioritised by the Review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of areas with an identified need for 0-4 year old child care do not have spare classrooms at schools. \p Stephen Morgan: The department is creating 6,000 new nursery places in schools across the country in the first wave of 300 school-based nurseries, backed by £37 million of funding. Up to 4,000 places will be available from this September, helping to grow our vibrant childcare market which gives parents access to provision where they need it, including through school and private, voluntary and independent partnerships. Overall, 641 schools applied for this first phase of funding and a further 592 registered their interest in future phases.

In order to ensure local alignment between need for childcare and school spaces, each school involved outlined how their proposals addressed local demand and secured local authority approval to use surplus space for nursery expansion. This comes alongside the department’s regular consideration of published data such as Childcare Sufficiency Assessments and school capacity.

The department will continue working closely with the early years sector to scale the programme effectively, subject to the spending review, ensuring new provision meets the needs of children, parents and schools, and works within the local market.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 45907 on Department for Education: Official Hospitality, if she will make an assessment of the value for money of the event. \p Janet Daby: This event was held to enable my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to outline the new government’s priorities for education and social care to a wide range of partners and stakeholders, building the relationships needed for new Ministers to work closely and effectively with them, so as to support delivery of the government’s Mission to break the link between a child’s background and their future success.

Rather than outsourcing the event, it was delivered in-house by civil servants and used existing departmental suppliers to deliver audio visual services and modest catering options. In line with similar events held under previous governments, it was delivered to the lowest possible cost.