theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost increase has been for the Fleet Solid Support Ship contract since initial agreement. \p Maria Eagle: On the current schedule, the first ship is expected to enter service by 2031 following extended first of class trials and equipment fits, however extensive work is being undertaken to understand the full impact on the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme following the recent takeover of Harland & Wolff by Navantia UK. This includes the impact on the in-service dates which are still being assessed and will be mitigated as far as possible.

The Government has worked closely with Navantia UK on the future of the FSS programme and agreed with them the minimum changes to the contract necessary - on commercial terms - to ensure the programme's continued delivery. The FSS team are working with Navantia UK to complete the detailed contract change and it would be inappropriate to comment further due to commercial sensitivities.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much a pair of Peltor ear defenders costs to issue. \p Maria Eagle: Information on the costs to issue individual hearing protection items is not held in the format requested. I am, further, unable to comment on the unit purchase cost of the Peltor Ear Muff and the Peltor ComTac XP/XPI, as releasing this information could prejudice commercial interests.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether British manufacturers will be given priority in new defence infrastructure contracts. \p Maria Eagle: The additional investment in defence announced by the Prime Minister on 25 February 2025 will both protect UK citizens from threats and create a secure and stable environment in which businesses can thrive, supporting the Government’s number one mission to deliver economic growth. This includes maximising jobs, growth, skills and innovation in the UK.

This Government is committed to supporting UK based manufacturers and will bring forward a new Defence Industrial Strategy later this year to align the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy. Defence infrastructure projects already make extensive use manufacturers based in the UK, but do also source materials and equipment to be used in contracts from overseas. Allowing sourcing from overseas helps maintains the competitive advantage of UK businesses and can provide better value for money.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, if he will order additional Eurofighter Typhoon jets. \p Maria Eagle: To provide the UK with the most relevant and capable Combat Aircraft force, the Ministry of Defence continually reviews the expected threat and the ability of our forces to counter it. Any further purchases would be set out in the usual way.
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Alison Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to help veterans experiencing PTSD find (a) retraining and (b) employment opportunities. \p Al Carns: This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am leading work across Government and with Civil Society to look at the best ways to ensure veterans and their families get access to the health and employment support they need.

Healthcare, including provision for veterans with mental health and wellbeing needs, is devolved in Scotland. I have met and continue to regularly engage with the Minister responsible for veterans in the Scottish Government. I also work closely with the Scottish Veterans’ Commissioner, who continues to work on improving outcomes for veterans in Scotland. I am committed to regular engagement and am focused to providing the best support to veterans throughout the United Kingdom.

A range of cross-Government employment support is also available to veterans and their families after their time in service. This includes the Ministry of Defence-hosted Career Transition Partnership which is the initial point of resettlement provisions for veterans leaving military service, with directly provided support usually available for two years before and two years after leaving service.

The Government is expanding UK-wide career support for the armed forces community, ensuring support for all veterans, regardless of when they left service. The careers advice service Op ASCEND offer will include a broader range of job support for veterans, helping more into employment and boosting growth under this Government’s Plan for Change. This service will work with industry bodies to make sure businesses are set up to make the most of the talents veterans have to offer, showing how the Government is renewing the contract with those who serve and have served.

We are committed to delivering and expansion of NHS Talking Therapies, increasing the number of sessions available, and increasing the number of people completing a course of treatment by 384,000 by 2028-29.

NHS mental health services are available to support the mental health of people who have experienced trauma in their past or who might have post traumatic stress disorder. They can access evidence-based mental health treatment via their general practitioner or by self-referring to their local NHS Talking Therapies service - details on how to do so are available at: NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression - NHS (www.nhs.uk).

People with complex PTSD may be offered therapies used to treat it, such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy or eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing. They will also be offered treatment for other problems they may have, such as depression.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take in response to Russian use of cluster munitions in Ukraine. \p Luke Pollard: As a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), the UK has made a commitment not to produce or use cluster munitions and to discourage their use. We stand by that.

As President of the CCM in 2022 the UK frequently highlighted the use of cluster munitions by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. The UK has committed £6.1million to address explosive ordnance, including cluster munitions, in Ukraine in financial year 2024-5 through the Global Mine Action Programme.
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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of decommissioning HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark on the UK’s amphibious warfare capability; and whether a replacement capability will be procured before their disposal. \p Maria Eagle: HMS Albion and Bulwark have been alongside since 2023 and 2017 respectively with no plans for them to return to sea before their out of service dates. Amphibious operations will continue to delivered by the Bay Class and RFA Argus until the introduction of the Multi Role Support Ship, which will succeed the amphibious fleet in the 2030s.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role UK-based suppliers of (a) defence and (b) security equipment will have in reaching the target of spending 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2027. \p Maria Eagle: This Government recognises the vital role the UK defence industry plays not only in our national security but also to the economic prosperity and growth of the UK.

Our industry partners, of all sizes, are very much at the heart of our One Defence approach. The Defence Industrial Strategy will align our security and economic priorities to boost the prosperity of our people across the country, provide resilience for the UK, and ensure the credibility of our deterrence. We will ensure a strong defence sector and resilient supply chains across the whole of the UK.

The investment in defence announced by the Prime Minister on 25 February 2025 will protect UK citizens from threats and create a secure and stable environment in which businesses of all sizes can thrive, supporting the Government’s number one mission to deliver economic growth. The new Defence Industrial Strategy will set out how UK-based suppliers will support both our national security and economic prosperity when it is published later this year.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a clawback mechanism into the proposed changes to APR and BPR. \p James Murray: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. A “clawback” would mean inheritance tax would only be due if the relevant assets are sold within a specified time period after a death. Introducing this mechanism, as some have suggested, could mean some of the wealthiest estates pay less inheritance tax compared to the proposed reforms. The Government disagrees with suggestions that a clawback would raise the same revenue as the reforms being introduced from 6 April 2026; it would raise much less, which would mean raising taxes elsewhere or lowering public spending. It would also add complexity to the tax system and continue to attract the very wealthiest to tax plan since beneficiaries could hold onto the assets over the specified clawback period just to escape the tax.
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John Glen:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions Ministers in her Department had on government business at Labour Party Conference; whether such meetings and engagement will be recorded in government transparency returns; and whether these discussions were reported back to civil servants. \p James Murray: All Ministers' meetings in an official capacity are recorded and published on gov.uk as part of the department’s quarterly transparency return.

The guidance acknowledges that meetings with external organisations at party conferences will generally be in a political capacity. As a result, they do not expect these meetings to be declared, unless a senior media figure was also present.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a proportional property tax as a replacement for (a) stamp duty and (b) council tax. \p James Murray: Council Tax and Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) are reliable and important sources of revenue for both the Exchequer and Local Authorities. They raise over £50 billion each year to help pay for essential public services. Any reforms to the property tax system would have to carefully consider impacts on the Exchequer and Local Government finances, as well as impacts on taxpayers. The Government has no plans to introduce a proportional property tax. The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the usual tax policy making process.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in mortgage interest tax relief on private landlords since the inception of those measures in April 2017. \p James Murray: The previous government phased in a set of reforms to restrict finance cost relief to the equivalent of the basic rate of income tax. Before these reforms, it was available at a landlord’s marginal rate.

As a result, all individual landlords now receive the same rate of tax relief on their mortgage interest, whereas previously higher rate taxpayers received more generous relief than those on lower incomes. The reforms have also reduced the disparity in income tax treatment between homeowners and landlords.
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John Glen:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings representatives from Shein have had with her Department since the 4 July 2024; on what dates these meetings took place; and what was discussed. \p James Murray: All meetings held by departments senior civil servants and Ministers are published to Gov.uk in line with Cabinet Office reporting and timetable guidance. Please follow the link below for visibility of HMT’s publications:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
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Jon Trickett:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff her Department has seconded from Palantir since July 2024. \p James Murray: HM Treasury has not had any seconded staff from Palantir since July 2024.
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John Glen:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 16601 on Employer’s Contributions: Public Sector, what her planned timetable is to update Parliament on allocations by department. \p Darren Jones: Allocations of support for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions costs by department will be published alongside spending estimates at Main Estimate.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what economic assumptions her Department has used to calculate the proposed increase in defence spending of £13.4bn by 2027. \p Darren Jones: Economic assumptions are based on independent forecasts provided by the OBR, under the Charter of Budget Responsibility. The next forecast will become available at the Spring Statement on 26 March in the usual way.
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John Glen:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 23883, on Public Finance: Brexit, if she will make a comparative estimate of the net difference between the two invoices from the European Union relating to the Financial Settlement under the Withdrawal Agreement and the annual payments when the United Kingdom was a member of the European Union. \p Darren Jones: It is not possible to meaningfully compare the net payments under the Financial Settlement and the UK's financial contributions during its time as a Member State poses substantial analytical issues. The former relates to historic liabilities of and receipts due to the UK, while payments to the EU budget cover participation in the EU’s ongoing activities.

The UK’s contributions and receipts to and from the EU as a Member State, as well as those made under the Financial Settlement are detailed in the annual European Union Finances Statement (available in the library of the House and on Gov.uk).
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to reform the Sovereign Grant at the next review. \p Darren Jones: As required by the Sovereign Grant Act 2011, the next review of the Sovereign Grant will take place in 2026. The government has committed to bring forward legislation to reset the Grant to a lower level from 2027-28 once Buckingham Palace reservicing works are completed.
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John Glen:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what role management consultants will play in determining efficiency savings for phase 2 of the Spending Review. \p Darren Jones: There is no formal role for management consultants in determining efficiency savings.

In developing their plans for the forthcoming Spending Review departments will need to find 5% savings and efficiencies against their current budgets, to help drive out waste and ensure all funding is focused on the Government’s priorities.

The Government will set out its spending plans in the multi-year Spending Review in June 2025.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed increases to employer National Insurance contributions on businesses (a) supporting and (b) employing apprentices; and whether she plans to allocate additional financial support to these businesses. \p James Murray: A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

The Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances.

Businesses will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to Business Property Relief on the private sector. \p James Murray: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992.

The reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data.

The Government has also set out that around 1,500 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief are expected to be affected in 2026-27, with around 1,000 of these expected to only hold shares designated as “not listed” on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, such as the Alternative Investment Market. The remaining 500 estates will include business assets from sectors across the economy that are eligible for business property relief. Around three-quarters of estates claiming business property relief in 2026-27 (excluding those only relating to holding shares designated as “not listed”) will not pay any more inheritance tax in 2026-27.

The reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief are forecast to raise a combined £520 million in 2029-30. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility certified this costing at Autumn Budget 2024 and it does not expect the reforms to have a significant macroeconomic impact. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.
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Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support public bodies that are ineligible for the Employment Allowance. \p James Murray: The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer NICs costs, i.e., central government, public corporations and local government, not including self-financed organisations.

This is the usual approach the Government takes to supporting the public sector with additional Employer NICs costs, as was the case with the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the number of farmers in West Dorset who will be affected by the proposed changes to Inheritance Tax, including Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief. \p James Murray: The Government has published information about the reforms to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. The Chancellor also recently wrote to the Chair of the Treasury Select Committee regarding the APR reforms; the letter can be accessed at: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/45691/documents/226235/default/.

It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates across the UK will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR in 2026-27, with around half of those being claims that involve AIM shares. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

Information from claims is not recorded to enable regional or constituency-level breakdown of the number of estates expected to be affected.

For more information, please see my recent letter to the Chair of the Northern Ireland Select Committee: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/46267/documents/232537/default/.
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Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether pre-schools can receive the same (a) National Insurance and (b) Employment Allowance benefits as nurseries. \p James Murray: Most businesses and all charities can claim the EA (subject to the connected persons rules); where an organisation is conducting work of a public nature, they need to consider HMRC’s guidance in more detail. This is dependent on individual circumstances in line with the guidance, though most private childcare providers will be eligible for the EA. Further guidance on Employment Allowance eligibility is available on https://www.gov.uk/claim-employment-allowance/eligibility
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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry of 3 November 2024 on loan charges, with reference SG00072. \p James Murray: I can confirm that a response has been sent on 27 February 2025 to the hon. Member for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) people and (b) businesses have positive tax balances with HMRC due to overpayments of tax broken down by tax type; what the total value of those balances are; and (i) how many accounts and (ii) the total balances in those accounts will be held over into future tax years. \p James Murray: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) does not hold readily available summary information on taxpayers with positive tax balances.

Several regimes require taxpayers to make payments on account or settle tax liabilities ahead of filing returns, and subsequent to filing returns, claims for reliefs or notification of a change in circumstances may further impact amounts repayable to taxpayers.

For these reasons the time taken to extract information on positive balances from the various databases and to produce and quality assure the data to answer the questions would be disproportionate on cost grounds.
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Chris Bloore:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether their Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers. \p James Murray: HM Treasury recognises the importance of providing a supportive workplace for employees who have caring responsibilities. We do not have a policy which explicitly covers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers. Employees are able to take time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant or are able to request other leave, paid and unpaid, as well as annual and flexi leave as required to support them when they become a kinship carer. Employees are also able to request flexible working to support both short term and longer term care arrangements. Each case is considered on an individual basis.
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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average wait time is for calls to be answered by HMRC; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce this. \p James Murray: HMRC telephony performance data, including the average speed of answering a customer’s call, is published on a monthly basis and can be accessed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports#reporting-year-2024-to-2025

HMRC received additional funding last year to recruit more customer service advisers to help improve telephony performance. HMRC are also investing in digital services and the HMRC app. These can often provide customers with faster resolutions for straightforward matters. By encouraging more customers to self-serve online, HMRC advisers will be freed up to focus on those customers who need the most support.
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Harriet Cross:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent analysis her Department has undertaken on the regional distribution of revenues from the abolition of the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime; and what proportion of this revenue is expected to be raised in Scotland.’ \p James Murray: The Government will abolish the Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) tax regime from April 2025.

The abolition of the FHL regime will raise £190m by 2029-30, which will help support public services across the United Kingdom, including in Scotland.
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Wera Hobhouse:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of Financial Conduct Authority support for victims of financial fraud. \p Emma Reynolds: The FCA plays a crucial role in combating fraud, working to ensure firms have robust systems to prevent fraud and protect consumers.

It authorises and supervises firms offering regulated financial services, so consumers can trust firms are being held to high standards.

The FCA also removes fraudulent adverts, tackles investment and authorised push-payment fraud, and raises consumer awareness.
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Chris Vince:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to increase economic growth through new technologies. \p Emma Reynolds: New technologies will drive growth across our economy.

The Government has committed to taking forward all 50 recommendations from the AI Opportunities Action Plan.

We also launched the Tech Adoption review to ensure that the Industrial Strategy’s high growth sectors are unlocking the full potential of tech.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent trends in the level of rent inflation on economic growth. \p Emma Reynolds: Rental prices are ultimately determined by the total supply of housing, relative to demand. Affordability of housing has fallen drastically, particularly in major cities, as too few homes have been built.

This Government is taking meaningful steps to reform the planning system and make it easier to build. Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December, will reintroduce mandatory housing targets and bring low quality Green Belt land in scope of development.

Building houses in the right places is vital to long-term economic growth, allowing prosperous places to grow, and providing the homes people want near good jobs.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to allow a portion of the fines collected by (a) Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation and (b) other enforcement agencies to be directed toward reparations. \p Emma Reynolds: The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) is responsible for issuing civil monetary penalties for breaches of financial sanctions.

The money collected from monetary penalties is deposited into the Consolidated Fund, in line with the general principles applying to the treatment of fines or other penalties imposed by public bodies in central government.
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John Glen:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the UK Government Green Financing Framework, published in June 2021, whether it remains her Department's policy that funding should not be provided for the development of green technologies in the defence industry. \p Emma Reynolds: The principles of the Green Financing Programme are set out in the Green Financing Framework, published in June 2021. The Framework explains how proceeds from green gilts and NS&I’s retail Green Savings Bonds will finance green expenditures to help tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and other environmental challenges, while creating green jobs across the UK. It also includes guidelines on the types of expenditures that can be included in the Programme.

The previous Government decided to exclude financing weapons in its Green Financing Framework, alongside other named exclusions. The international convention is to exclude weapons for green bond frameworks. In line with other sovereign green bond issuers and international best practices, the UK Government Green Financing Framework was designed to align with the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA) Green Bond Principles. This approach enables the UK’s green gilts to be accessible to the greatest possible pool of investors, improving value-for-money.

Green gilts and Green Savings Bonds finance public expenditures that can demonstrate a direct and positive environmental impact. Eligible expenditures are drawn from departments’ confirmed settlements in the Spending Review and assessed on the basis of their contribution to the Government’s climate and environmental objectives.

The Green Financing Framework does not underpin how Government expenditure decisions are made. As the PM has announced to Parliament on Tuesday 25 February, we will reach 2.5% of GDP expenditure on defence in 27-28.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) air miles and (b) flights she has completed since 5 July 2024. \p James Murray: All overseas ministerial travel, including flight details is regularly published in transparency returns. These figures are scheduled to be published in due course.
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of exempting hospices from the planned increase in employer National Insurance contributions. \p James Murray: The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional employer National Insurance costs only. Charities, including hospices, will not be exempt, which is the usual approach taken by government when supporting the public sector with employer National Insurance contributions. The Government has announced a £100m boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care, alongside £26m in revenue for children and young people’s hospices.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Claire Hughes:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking through the pensions system to increase economic growth. \p Torsten Bell: We are now in the final phase of the Pensions Investment Review, and I look forward to publishing its final report in the coming months.

Our reforms, to Defined Contribution schemes and the Local Government Pension Scheme, will create fewer, larger pension funds with greater ability to invest in productive assets, supporting better returns for savers and higher growth for the UK.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce (a) hate crime and (b) discrimination against international students. \p Janet Daby: The department condemns all forms of hatred on our campuses. Every student, irrespective of their background, should feel safe to pursue their studies at university.

As autonomous institutions, universities should have robust processes in place to prevent and tackle acts of harassment and abuse on campus.

This government is clear that international students, who make a positive impact on UK higher education, our economy and society as a whole, are welcome in the UK. They bring significant benefits, by enriching our university campuses, forging lifelong friendships with our domestic students and becoming global ambassadors for the UK.
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Jon Trickett:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff her Department has seconded from Palantir since July 2024. \p Janet Daby: There have been no staff working in the department since July 2024 who were seconded from Palantir.
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Connor Naismith:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to inform members of the teachers pension scheme who are in (a) final salary and (b) career average schemes of their right to retire at 55. \p Catherine McKinnell: The administrator for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme provides a new starter guide for all new members. The guide can be accessed here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/-/media/documents/member/guides/new-starter-guide-2024.ashx?rev=9c420691700a46cf9d6661890f310aa3&hash=C05F7D56649239746FC32D1E56A96E62.

Page 7 of the guide explains that retirement benefits can be taken from age 55. The department is considering the impacts of the increase to Normal Minimum Pension Age from April 2028 and will communicate any resulting changes to those affected as soon as this is determined.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, by how much each secondary school year group is over-subscribed in Huntingdon constituency in the 2025-26 academic year. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department does not hold data for the 2025/26 academic year. The latest available data on school capacity are for 2022/23. Data for 2023/24 will be available at the end of March 2025. The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of the adequacy of the level of financial education for students in post-16 educational settings. \p Janet Daby: Financial education is integrated into the curriculum at key stages 3 and 4 through citizenship education and elements of the mathematics curriculum but is not compulsory at key stage 5. However, post-16 education providers are free to teach it if they wish to do so.

There are a range of financial education qualifications available for 16 to 19 year-old students to study. This includes qualifications and courses at levels 1 and 2 for lower attaining GCSE students to support their financial literacy, as well as new qualifications at level 3, such as the T Level in Finance for those wishing to pursue a career in the industry. Level 3 Core Maths qualifications also cover financial literacy.

The mathematics and English condition of funding supports students who do not attain level 2 English and mathematics qualifications at 16, by requiring them to continue to study these subjects as part of their 16-19 study programme or T Level. Students with a GCSE grade 2 or below can study towards either level 2 Functional Skills or GCSE grade 9 to 4. This allows institutions and students with prior attainment of GCSE grade 2 and below to choose which level 2 qualification is most appropriate. The Functional Skills qualification mathematics subject content covers elements of personal finance explicitly and delivers the wider mathematics skills needed for personal finance.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to support the provision of sixth form education in South Holland and the Deepings constituency. \p Janet Daby: All young people should have access to high quality education and training that meets their needs and provides them with opportunities to thrive. Over £7.5 billion of 16-19 programme funding will be invested during the 2024/25 academic year.

As announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, the government is providing an additional £300 million for further education in the 2025/26 financial year to ensure young people are developing the skills they need to succeed.

Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, which includes securing sufficient suitable education and training provision. There are currently four secondary schools offering post-16 sixth form provision in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency. All four sixth-form provisions received sub-judgements of good in their latest published Ofsted inspections.
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Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many times she has met with the Interim Chair of Skills England since their appointment. \p Janet Daby: Since their appointment in July, the Interim Chair of Skills England, Richard Pennycook, has met my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education six times and my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills five times. In addition, the Interim Chair has had weekly meetings with the Interim Chief Executive.
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Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the period product scheme will continue within schools in the year 2025-26. \p Stephen Morgan: The period products scheme is confirmed for the 2024/25 academic year. The department will make further announcements on the scheme soon.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill on the number of child sexual assault cases brought forward. \p Stephen Morgan: The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, introduced in Parliament on 17 December, will protect children at risk of abuse, stopping vulnerable children falling through cracks in services.

To keep children safe, the department plans to improve the sharing of information across and within agencies by enabling the use of a Single Unique Identifier. To better protect children from harm, we also plan to strengthen the delivery of a local decisive multi-agency child protection model through integrated multi-agency child protection teams, put a new duty on safeguarding partners to ensure education is sufficiently involved in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, and ensure parents have consent from local authorities to home educate children where there are safeguarding concerns.

Beyond the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, it is paramount the department acts to protect children from all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation. To that end, on 16 January, my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary made clear that, before Easter, the government will lay out a clear timetable for taking forward the 20 recommendations from the final Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse report.
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Sarah Dyke:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have a place on the breakfast clubs pilot programme. \p Stephen Morgan: From summer term 2025, 750 state funded primary schools will be funded as early adopter schools to provide access to a free, universal breakfast club lasting at least 30 minutes that includes food.

The department aims to test and learn with as many different types of schools as possible.

On 24 February 2025, the department published the list of early adopter schools here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breakfast-clubs-early-adopters-schools-in-the-scheme.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of making the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund a permanent initiative. \p Janet Daby: I refer the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26025.
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Dan Carden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to increase the number of children and young people reading for pleasure. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Liverpool Walton to the answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29850.