Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support businesses at risk of flooding but ineligible for Flood Re insurance.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Businesses in flood risk areas should seek out the best insurance quotes available to them and may benefit from using an appropriate broker. There are a range of insurance products available, including the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) Commercial Property scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises, and parametric insurance products.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of calculating parental income for Student Finance purposes before the deduction of carried-forward trading losses on self-employed households.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Entitlement to partially means-tested undergraduate loans for living costs is based on the income of the student’s household. The income used is the total income charged to tax as defined at step one of Section 23 of the Income Tax Act 2007, before reliefs for trade losses and other deductions are made by HMRC from step two onwards of Section 23.

The use of income charged to tax in the household income assessment applies a standard measure of income to calculate a student’s entitlement to living costs support and allows all students to be assessed consistently and fairly. It is not intended to be an exact calculation of disposable income for each household.

Information on income is available from HMRC and allows around 1.3 million assessments a year to be carried out quickly and efficiently each year by Student Finance England.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure woodland is appropriately managed to reduce the risk of wildfires.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Forestry Commission (FC) works with woodland owners to reduce the risk of wildfires through guidance, training, support and wider communications. The UK Forestry Standard is used to implement forest and contingency plans for wildfire, informed by the FC’s Practice Guidance. Lantra accredited training is available. The Government also provides two Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier options for forest owners and managers to increase their woodlands resilience: CUP18 and CES6. Practice Guidance. Lantra accredited training is available. The Government also provides two Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier options for forest owners and managers to increase their woodlands resilience: CUP18 and CES6.

Working across Government, FC actively communicates with woodland managers and the public during periods of high wildfire risk as well as coordinating with forestry sector representatives.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award on halving the participation gap in enrichment activities between disadvantaged young people and their peers by 2035.

Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

For over 70 years the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) has played a significant role in providing young people with enriching activities and enabling young people to learn new skills, develop confidence and make new friends

DCMS provided almost £6 million of funding to the DofE between 2022/23 and 2025/26 and the Department for Education also provided a further £3.4 million as a joint investment. This funded over 50,000 participant places via licences to over 700 settings, including mainstream and SEND/Alternative Provision schools, breaking down barriers for disadvantaged young people. This investment has created a long-term legacy as the DofE will continue to provide training, safeguarding support and resources to licensed organisations..

We continue to work closely with the DofE on enrichment policy, including the new Enrichment Framework. This framework supports schools and colleges in developing strategic and intentional enrichment offers for all students. The DofE aligns with this framework, contributing to our ambition to halve the participation gap in enrichment activities for disadvantaged young people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Enrichment Framework and associated benchmarks on access to enrichment opportunities.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to ensuring that all children and young people can access a variety of enrichment opportunities at school and college as part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

The enrichment framework, including the associated benchmarks, is designed to support this ambition by providing practical guidance to schools and colleges on how to deliver and strengthen their enrichment offer.

The benchmarks and self-assessment tools provide a clear structure for schools and colleges to evaluate their enrichment offer and make informed improvements. This includes ensuring opportunities are accessible and engaging for all pupils and students, particularly those at risk of missing out.

The framework also signposts to resources that can help schools and colleges enhance their enrichment provision. Case studies from a range of settings, including alternative provision and special settings, provide practical examples of approaches that can support wider access to enrichment opportunities.

​The £22.5 million Enrichment Expansion Programme will work with approximately 400 schools in the most deprived areas for England in support them to meet the benchmarks set out in the enrichment framework. This is alongside a variety of governmental programmes, including the upcoming PE and School Sport Partnerships and a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, as well as National Education Nature Parks, TechYouth, the Cadet Expansion Programme, Erasmus+, and Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools. ​

​The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s ‘Every Child Can’ programme will deliver £132.5 million for new activities programmes structured around the framework categories, delivered through schools, community programmes, weekend activities and holiday provision.​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to commit to 80 hours of enrichment per student per year.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

We have set out our expectations and intent for school and college enrichment through the enrichment framework, published on the 15 June. The enrichment framework is intended to support equal access and support all pupils and students to engage with a school or college's offer and setting out benchmarks for high-quality enrichment offers.

Schools and colleges need the flexibility to plan and deliver enrichment activities in a manner that best suits their unique circumstances and community needs. The Framework therefore does not outline a set number of hours, but does set out expectations on a wide ranging offer available to all students.

Political donations and campaign finance regulation

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (No. 2)

Publication of Legal Advice on Local Government Reorganisation

50th anniversary of Torbay Civic Society

Devon maternity services

Closure of High Borrans Outdoor Education Centre

Found: Chair); Sureena Brackenridge; Jodie Gosling; Manuela Perteghella; Mark Sewards; Peter Swallow; Caroline Voaden

Found: Q11 Caroline Voaden: I would like to talk about enrichment.

Found: Q11 Caroline Voaden: I would like to talk about enrichment.