Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Teaching Regulation Agency and (b) university providers on expanding initial teacher training places targeted at schools in disadvantaged areas.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Evidence shows that high-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor that improves outcomes for children. The department has reformed initial teacher training and the early career induction to ensure that children in every area of England benefit from high-quality teaching. The High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme, currently delivered by Teach First, recruits high-quality candidates specifically for placement in schools serving low-income communities to help improve outcomes for pupils. We are making the post-graduate teaching apprenticeship route easier to deliver for schools, helping us to better meet candidate demand across the country, including in lower income areas.
Work is already underway to deliver on our pledge to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time employed staff between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. Our future schoolteacher pipeline is also growing. As of June 2025, there are 12% more trainees who have accepted offers to train as secondary teachers, and in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, acceptances are up 25% compared to last year.
The Teaching Regulation Agency has no responsibility in determining initial teacher training placement provision.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to work (a) Teach First and (b) other school led partnerships to place additional high calibre graduates into schools in low income communities.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Evidence shows that high-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor that improves outcomes for children. The department has reformed initial teacher training and the early career induction to ensure that children in every area of England benefit from high-quality teaching. The High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme, currently delivered by Teach First, recruits high-quality candidates specifically for placement in schools serving low-income communities to help improve outcomes for pupils. We are making the post-graduate teaching apprenticeship route easier to deliver for schools, helping us to better meet candidate demand across the country, including in lower income areas.
Work is already underway to deliver on our pledge to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time employed staff between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. Our future schoolteacher pipeline is also growing. As of June 2025, there are 12% more trainees who have accepted offers to train as secondary teachers, and in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, acceptances are up 25% compared to last year.
The Teaching Regulation Agency has no responsibility in determining initial teacher training placement provision.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of methane reduction measures on (a) air quality and (b) public health.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises that methane contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone, a harmful air pollutant, and is also a significant greenhouse gas. That is why the Government are taking action to drive down emissions of this pollutant.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce methane emissions from agriculture through (a) dietary changes, (b) manure management, (c) innovation in feed additives and (d) other methods.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Carbon Budget Delivery Plan (CBDP), published in 2023, outlines measures to reduce methane in the agricultural sector and meet our Carbon Budget 4-6 commitments.
Defra is actively exploring ways to reduce methane emissions, including through scientific research into livestock management, feed, and breeding. The Government will set Carbon Budget 7 by June 2026 outlining the next phase of the UK’s net zero pathway, including future policies to further mitigate methane from agriculture.
In particular, we are supporting access to nutritious food and healthier diets through our ambitious Food Strategy. The Government respects individual dietary choices for a healthy diet, as set out by the NHS Eatwell Guide. Adherence to the Eatwell Guide has been shown to improve both health and environmental outcomes, with appreciably lower environmental impact than the current UK diet.
To support manure management, the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund provides grants to improve farm productivity, slurry management and animal health and welfare, which contribute to methane reductions.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help (a) reduce workload and (b) enhance professional development support for teachers in schools serving low income communities.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department knows that the quality of teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving pupil outcomes, and that it is particularly important for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our scholarship funding for national professional qualifications, high-quality professional development for teachers and leaders, is targeted towards supporting participation from those working in schools with the highest levels of disadvantage.
The department is committed to tackling the major drivers of high workload and poor wellbeing for teachers in all schools, including those serving low-income communities, through wide-ranging reforms to the education system and supporting schools to harness technology to enhance time efficiency and reduce workload.
Our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service shares resources that have worked in schools to reduce workload and improve staff wellbeing, developed by school leaders for school leaders. Further details on the service are available here: https://improve-workload-and-wellbeing-for-school-staff.education.gov.uk/workload-reduction-toolkit/address-workload-issues/governance/prepare-a-governing-board-report/.
The department is also working closely with unions, employer representative organisations, school leaders and other key partners to identify where we can go further to address unnecessary workload, including through the Improving Education Together agreement.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has considered implementing a methane tax on vented emissions from North Sea oil and gas operators to help incentivise improved (a) capture and (b) use of wasted gas.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK has committed to end routine flaring and venting by 2030. The North Sea Transition Authority issues consents for flaring and venting activity with strict limits and uses enforcement action as part of its regulatory toolkit. The UK’s oil and gas sector has one of the lowest upstream methane emission intensities globally and achieved the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative’s 0.2 per cent methane intensity target by 2025, achieving 0.17 per cent in 2020 with a further decrease to 0.13 per cent in 2022.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to include methane in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme scope to include methane emissions in the upstream oil and gas sector is being considered by the UK ETS Authority. The Authority will set out more detail in due course.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to support local authorities in tackling methane emissions from landfill sites through improved (a) waste separation, (b) capture technologies and (c) food waste reduction.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Reducing emissions further requires ‘turning off the tap’ for landfill gas production by diverting biodegradable waste from landfill, as well as maximising capture and destruction of landfill gas created by previously deposited waste.
Defra is exploring options for the near elimination of municipal biodegradable waste to landfill from 2028 and landfill gas capture and is engaging with the landfill and landfill gas operators on these issues.
Simpler Recycling will deliver changes in waste management including separate food waste collection which explicitly aims to divert this material from landfill.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to support local authorities in tackling methane emissions.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Reducing emissions further requires ‘turning off the tap’ for landfill gas production by diverting biodegradable waste from landfill, as well as maximising capture and destruction of landfill gas created by previously deposited waste.
Defra is exploring options for the near elimination of municipal biodegradable waste to landfill from 2028 and landfill gas capture and is engaging with the landfill and landfill gas operators on these issues.
Simpler Recycling will deliver changes in waste management including separate food waste collection which explicitly aims to divert this material from landfill.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to promote UK leadership on methane reduction (a) technologies and (b) services in international markets ahead of COP30.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We promote the use of technology in reducing emissions across agriculture, waste and oil and gas sectors. Examples include offshore and onshore oil and gas operators using cameras, drones and sensors to detect leaks, capturing methane from landfill and using it for electricity, carrying out world-leading research to reduce landfill methane emissions and we are reviewing the use of methane suppressing feed products in suitable cattle systems. Ahead of COP30 will use our international leadership role as a Global Methane Pledge Champion to continue to encourage and support others to reduce methane emissions across all sectors.