Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the government plans to review procurement rules that prevent local authorities from prioritising UK-built buses.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This Government is determined to ensure that the £400bn spent annually on procurement benefits British industry, jobs, and skills.
This government recently brought in The Local Government (Non-commercial Considerations) (England) Order 2026 so that local authorities in England can reserve competitions for below-threshold contracts to local or UK businesses. In addition, the Department for Transport has recently published a 10- year Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Order Pipeline detailing the expected procurement of battery-electric and zero-emission buses between 2026 and 2035. This will provide far greater planning certainty for UK bus manufacturers.
I also announced new reforms on March 26th 2026 to ensure that government procurement does much more to protect national security, including by supporting critical UK industries, in line with our international trade agreements, and that it helps deliver a fairer economy. As part of this, we are creating a new definition of Social Value in Government Procurement, which will give additional weight to support local jobs, skills and community impact.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC takes to publicise closing dates for applications for funded childcare.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
There are no closing dates for application for the Department for Education’s (DfE) funded hours offer. Parents must apply for a 30 hours code in the term before they want to take up a funded childcare place. This means that they must apply by:
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, regarding the Better Youth Spaces Fund, what the timeline is for Phase 2; what the criteria will be; and whether it will include rural and coastal areas.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Better Youth Spaces programme is currently in the design and development stage. Further details on the eligibility criteria and place selection will be announced in due course.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is fulfilling its youth funding commitment by aligning with the Department’s approach to place targeting across DCMS programmes and through the long-term National Youth Strategy. The ten-year National Youth Strategy is designed to ensure every young person has access to a safe place, a supportive adult, and a strong sense of community belonging.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with NHS England on expanding medical exemption criteria to include people with multiple sclerosis dependent on long-term medication.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans to expand the medical exemption criteria to include people with multiple sclerosis dependent on long-term medication, and no recent discussions have been held with NHS England on this matter.
People with multiple sclerosis may be eligible for exemption from National Health Service prescription charges for another reason. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, and whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.
People on low incomes may also qualify for help through the NHS Low Income Scheme, and those who pay prescription charges regularly may be able to reduce costs by buying a prescription prepayment certificate.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the number of rural properties that will struggle to reach the minimum EPC C rating by the 2030 deadline for all rental properties.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government recognises there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to tackling the UK’s diverse building stock. We have set out a range of provisions to ensure the cost and compliance burden is fair and proportionate for landlords. This includes a maximum spend requirement of £10,000 per property, and a range of exemptions for circumstances where the installation of measures is not feasible or appropriate.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of calculating student loan repayments on an annual basis so that people with fluctuating monthly incomes are not penalised and required to make larger repayments than those with stable incomes.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Student loan repayments for borrowers in the UK are collected via the tax system. This means employers deduct repayments from employees' pay checks for each pay period that their earnings exceed the relevant repayment threshold.
If at the end of the year, the borrower’s total income is below the annual repayment threshold, they may reclaim any repayments that were made where a pay period threshold was exceeded.
For both business and individuals, this is an efficient and effective collection method and means that the loan repayment system follows closely the operation of the tax system. The department has no plans to depart from this system.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered financing the provision of EpiPens for all children in an educational establishment.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Mainstream school and high needs budgets have increased by £3.7 billion in 2025/26 compared to 2024/25. Overall schools funding will total £65.3 billion in the 2025/26 academic year (AY) compared to £61.6 billion in the 2024/25 AY. The Spending Review announced that core schools funding, including investment in special educational needs and disabilities, will rise to £69.5 billion by the 2028/29 AY.
Schools decide how to spend from their funding allocations, taking into account their pupils’ needs and they are able to purchase adrenaline auto-injectors out of the funding we provide to them. The department has announced that we will be inviting pharmacists to work with us to make these life-saving devices as easily and cheaply available to schools as possible.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of trends in notices to quit issued under paragraph 31 of the Electronic Communications Code; and what comparative assessment she has made of those trends with the valuation provisions introduced by the 2017 Code reforms.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government wants operators to work collaboratively with site providers to reach agreements for siting mobile infrastructure. Masts may be removed or relocated for a range of reasons, and this is a commercial matter for the parties involved. The Department does not track the number of mobile masts that are removed. however, we engage regularly with mobile operators to understand the challenges they face in redeploying equipment following Notices to Quit.
We recognise operators’ concerns about the impact of Notices to Quit on the deployment of mobile infrastructure as operators search for alternative sites to host equipment. To help mitigate impacts on local coverage and capacity, the Government’s recent Call for Evidence on planning reform proposed extending the period during which equipment can be deployed on an emergency basis without planning permission from 18 to 36 months. This would allow operators to maintain local connectivity while they identify and deploy to permanent sites. We are considering responses to the Call for Evidence and will determine next steps in due course.
Sections 61 to 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, relating to the renewal of certain telecoms site rental agreements, came into force on 7 April 2026. These measures will bring greater consistency in how land used for telecommunications purposes is valued.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of implementing sections 61 to 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 on existing mobile mast sites and on the number of notices to quit issued under paragraph 31 of the Electronic Communications Code.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government wants operators to work collaboratively with site providers to reach agreements for siting mobile infrastructure. Masts may be removed or relocated for a range of reasons, and this is a commercial matter for the parties involved. The Department does not track the number of mobile masts that are removed. however, we engage regularly with mobile operators to understand the challenges they face in redeploying equipment following Notices to Quit.
We recognise operators’ concerns about the impact of Notices to Quit on the deployment of mobile infrastructure as operators search for alternative sites to host equipment. To help mitigate impacts on local coverage and capacity, the Government’s recent Call for Evidence on planning reform proposed extending the period during which equipment can be deployed on an emergency basis without planning permission from 18 to 36 months. This would allow operators to maintain local connectivity while they identify and deploy to permanent sites. We are considering responses to the Call for Evidence and will determine next steps in due course.
Sections 61 to 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, relating to the renewal of certain telecoms site rental agreements, came into force on 7 April 2026. These measures will bring greater consistency in how land used for telecommunications purposes is valued.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a register of mobile sites and their legal status to monitor telecoms masts at risk of removal after a site provider serves a notice to quit.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government wants operators to work collaboratively with site providers to reach agreements for siting mobile infrastructure. Masts may be removed or relocated for a range of reasons, and this is a commercial matter for the parties involved. The Department does not track the number of mobile masts that are removed. however, we engage regularly with mobile operators to understand the challenges they face in redeploying equipment following Notices to Quit.
We recognise operators’ concerns about the impact of Notices to Quit on the deployment of mobile infrastructure as operators search for alternative sites to host equipment. To help mitigate impacts on local coverage and capacity, the Government’s recent Call for Evidence on planning reform proposed extending the period during which equipment can be deployed on an emergency basis without planning permission from 18 to 36 months. This would allow operators to maintain local connectivity while they identify and deploy to permanent sites. We are considering responses to the Call for Evidence and will determine next steps in due course.
Sections 61 to 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, relating to the renewal of certain telecoms site rental agreements, came into force on 7 April 2026. These measures will bring greater consistency in how land used for telecommunications purposes is valued.