Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2026 to Question 19297, whether her Department has (a) contacted ITV News to obtain the evidence behind the whistleblower allegations broadcast on 3 July 2026 and (b) taken steps to establish whether the practices alleged exist in other local authorities in England.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
ITV did not directly approach officials regarding this, but the media team flagged the issue to policy colleagues at the time. It would not be appropriate for media colleagues to seek further specifics on allegations from the journalist given this was reported as an anonymous case and sources or details beyond those included in the piece would not be shared.
Regarding next steps, the department's special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Improvement and Intervention programmes target local areas that are not adequately delivering SEND services for children and young people. For local areas with the most acute performance concerns, officials place heightened scrutiny on the extent to which local authorities are doing everything within their control to implement SEND reforms effectively and deliver their statutory SEND duties. This includes a close examination of leadership capability, the pace of action and a clear accountability structure. We are strengthening these oversight mechanisms and plan to publish details on this in coming months. Where necessary to drive improvement, the department will use intervention levers to require rapid action from local authorities.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of student loan borrowers who (a) have and (b) will have paid back more than their original student loan in England.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold an estimate of the proportion of student loan borrowers who have repaid more than they originally borrowed in a form that would provide a meaningful answer to the question. Likewise, the department does not hold an estimate of the percentage of loan borrowers who will have paid back more than their original loan in the future.
The amount a borrower ultimately repays depends on factors including their earnings, the amount borrowed, their repayment plan and how long the loan remains outstanding. A borrower who has not yet repaid more than they borrowed may do so in future, while some borrowers will never repay their original loan amount.
Furthermore, comparing total cash repayments with the original amount borrowed does not account for inflation, meaning it does not show whether a borrower has repaid more than they borrowed in real terms.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of Plan 2 student loan borrowers in England are projected to repay, in cash terms, more than the principal amount originally borrowed.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold analysis of the proportion of borrowers who are projected to repay, in cash terms, more than the principal amount originally borrowed.
As interest is charged on both Plan 1 and Plan 2 loans, including during study, anyone who does repay their loan in full will repay more than they borrowed in cash terms.
The department published a table including proportion of outlay repaid in real terms by the final cohort of Plan 2 borrowers. The table can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2022-23#section-undergraduate-learners-with-higher-education-student-loans-average-repayment-per-student.
This is only a snapshot from one cohort and is in real not cash terms.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of Plan 1 student loan borrowers in England are projected to repay, in cash terms, more than the principal amount originally borrowed.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold analysis of the proportion of borrowers who are projected to repay, in cash terms, more than the principal amount originally borrowed.
As interest is charged on both Plan 1 and Plan 2 loans, including during study, anyone who does repay their loan in full will repay more than they borrowed in cash terms.
The department published a table including proportion of outlay repaid in real terms by the final cohort of Plan 2 borrowers. The table can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2022-23#section-undergraduate-learners-with-higher-education-student-loans-average-repayment-per-student.
This is only a snapshot from one cohort and is in real not cash terms.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate on public charging costs for electric vehicle users without access to off-street parking.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not undertaken the assessment.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to inform hon. Members on plans to reform permitted development rights for on-farm reservoirs.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have committed to review evidence on the effectiveness of current permitted development rights for on-farm reservoirs. We are working with farmers and industry representatives, including the National Farmers’ Union and Country Land and Business Association, to gather and assess this evidence. Any decisions on reforms to permitted development rights will be announced once this work is complete.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has been made of the impact on residents of existing multi-dwelling developments where telecommunications operators have determined that full fibre deployment is not commercially viable; and whether she plans to introduce further regulatory powers, financial support or infrastructure assistance to address engineering barriers and secure access to gigabit-capable broadband for affected residents.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring at least 99% of premises have gigabit broadband coverage by 2032. As of January 2026, Ofcom reports that 88% of UK premises can access a gigabit-capable connection. Through Project Gigabit, we are targeting Government funding at areas where commercial deployment is unlikely, supporting delivery of this target.
As confirmed in the King’s Speech, following a consultation on legislative proposals for broadband rollout in leasehold flats, measures to improve access will be taken forward in the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of variation between local planning authorities in the charging of Community Infrastructure Levy on agricultural buildings.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has made no specific assessment of trends in the level of variation between local planning authorities in the charging of Community Infrastructure Levy on agricultural buildings.
Relevant Planning Practice Guidance, which can be found on gov.uk here, makes clear that charging authorities must keep their charging schedules under review and should ensure that levy charges remain appropriate over time.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to review the application of Community Infrastructure Levy to agricultural buildings.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has made no specific assessment of trends in the level of variation between local planning authorities in the charging of Community Infrastructure Levy on agricultural buildings.
Relevant Planning Practice Guidance, which can be found on gov.uk here, makes clear that charging authorities must keep their charging schedules under review and should ensure that levy charges remain appropriate over time.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to support NHS hospitals to provide safe and appropriate care for people with severe and very severe myalgic encephalomyelitis while the development of specialised services remains under consideration.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Further to the answers provided on 16 July to Question 16893 and on 15 September to Question 21290, the Department, together with NHS England, has developed a template service specification for mild, moderate, and severe myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The template, once published, will be circulated to integrated care boards to support the commissioning of services for severe ME/CFS.