Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of financial mutuals on (a) regional economic growth and (b) the proportion of businesses and financial institutions that are (i) locally and (ii) member owned.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Financial mutuals, such as building societies and credit unions, have a strong focus on serving local communities for the benefit of their members. This leaves them well placed to make an important contribution to the Government’s priority to drive good growth in every postcode of the UK.
The Government is undertaking a multi-year programme of work to support financial mutuals. This includes, for example, updating the Building Societies Act 1986 to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and provide greater funding flexibility, reforming the credit union common bond through the Financial Services and Markets Bill, and asking the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority to produce their joint Mutuals Landscape Report, which identified opportunities for growth-focused reform.
Access to capital is a longstanding structural issue for mutual businesses, and one in which the Government takes a close interest. The Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council is currently considering this, including the barriers faced by the sector and potential solutions. The Government will review the Council’s work as it develops and consider the proposals it brings forward.
Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential challenges faced by financial mutuals seeking to raise external capital while retaining their mutual status.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Financial mutuals, such as building societies and credit unions, have a strong focus on serving local communities for the benefit of their members. This leaves them well placed to make an important contribution to the Government’s priority to drive good growth in every postcode of the UK.
The Government is undertaking a multi-year programme of work to support financial mutuals. This includes, for example, updating the Building Societies Act 1986 to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and provide greater funding flexibility, reforming the credit union common bond through the Financial Services and Markets Bill, and asking the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority to produce their joint Mutuals Landscape Report, which identified opportunities for growth-focused reform.
Access to capital is a longstanding structural issue for mutual businesses, and one in which the Government takes a close interest. The Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council is currently considering this, including the barriers faced by the sector and potential solutions. The Government will review the Council’s work as it develops and consider the proposals it brings forward.
Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to increase the contribution of financial mutuals.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Financial mutuals, such as building societies and credit unions, have a strong focus on serving local communities for the benefit of their members. This leaves them well placed to make an important contribution to the Government’s priority to drive good growth in every postcode of the UK.
The Government is undertaking a multi-year programme of work to support financial mutuals. This includes, for example, updating the Building Societies Act 1986 to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and provide greater funding flexibility, reforming the credit union common bond through the Financial Services and Markets Bill, and asking the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority to produce their joint Mutuals Landscape Report, which identified opportunities for growth-focused reform.
Access to capital is a longstanding structural issue for mutual businesses, and one in which the Government takes a close interest. The Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council is currently considering this, including the barriers faced by the sector and potential solutions. The Government will review the Council’s work as it develops and consider the proposals it brings forward.
Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to help young people develop confidence, resilience, leadership skills and work experience during the period between claiming Universal Credit and becoming eligible for the Jobs Guarantee.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Lack of experience is a key barrier for young people. Through the Government’s additional £2.5 billion investment into the Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy, young people will benefit from a range of support to help young people develop confidence, resilience, leadership skills and work experience before they become eligible for the Jobs Guarantee.
Young people aged 16-24 on Universal Credit who are looking for work receive tailored employment support through the Youth Guarantee Gateway. If they are not earning or learning after 13 weeks, they receive a dedicated Youth Guarantee Gateway meeting followed by four weeks of intensive support from a Work Coach. During this period, they are offered opportunities including employment, work experience placements, Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), apprenticeships, training or learning.
As part of this offer, the Government is creating up to 300,000 additional sector-based work academy programme (SWAP) across Great Britain and work-experience placements. These placements are designed to help young people develop employability skills, confidence and work readiness, supporting them to move into employment, education or training. SWAPs are being expanded through the Youth Guarantee, with 145,000 starts planned by 2028/29, further supporting young people in gaining valuable work experience whilst building up sector-specific skills. The Department for Work and Pensions is engaging with national and local employers to create these opportunities.
Young people can also access support through an expanded network of Youth Hubs across Great Britain in the future. Youth Hubs bring together employment support with services such as skills development, mental health support, employer engagement and wider community-based support, helping young people build confidence and prepare for work.
Together, these measures help young people gain the confidence, resilience, skills and experience needed to progress towards sustained employment before becoming eligible for the Jobs Guarantee after 18 months claiming Universal Credit.
Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming Stamp Duty Land Tax.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is an important source of Government revenue, raising around £14 billion each year. The structure of SDLT ensures that those buying the most expensive properties contribute the most.
Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with mutual building societies on their role in increasing sustainable homeownership and supporting economic growth.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Building societies play an important role in supporting home ownership and economic growth. Ministers and officials regularly engage with building societies and the wider mutuals sector to discuss their business, understand the barriers they face and consider opportunities to support their growth and better serve their members.
The Government is committed to creating the conditions that enable the sector to flourish. In December 2025, the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority published their joint Mutuals Landscape Report, which set out the sector’s regulatory framework and identified opportunities for growth-focused reform. As part of that initiative, the Prudential Regulation Authority removed the Building Societies Sourcebook, supporting a more proportionate regulatory framework for building societies.
In addition, the Government laid a statutory instrument before Parliament in July 2026 that would support the building society sector by reducing unnecessary administrative burdens and providing greater funding flexibility.
Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current regulatory framework for mutual building societies.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Building societies play an important role in supporting home ownership and economic growth. Ministers and officials regularly engage with building societies and the wider mutuals sector to discuss their business, understand the barriers they face and consider opportunities to support their growth and better serve their members.
The Government is committed to creating the conditions that enable the sector to flourish. In December 2025, the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority published their joint Mutuals Landscape Report, which set out the sector’s regulatory framework and identified opportunities for growth-focused reform. As part of that initiative, the Prudential Regulation Authority removed the Building Societies Sourcebook, supporting a more proportionate regulatory framework for building societies.
In addition, the Government laid a statutory instrument before Parliament in July 2026 that would support the building society sector by reducing unnecessary administrative burdens and providing greater funding flexibility.
Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with metro mayors and combined authorities on developing place-based approaches to childcare and family support that integrate childcare, health visiting, family hubs and employment support.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Best Start in Life and Best Start Family Hubs are about place-based working. That is why the department has asked local authorities to publish a plan for children's outcomes in their area and why Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programme guidance recognises the strong foundations already in place, including deeply embedded and trusted local partnerships, infrastructure and experience.
Mayors and combined authorities play an important role in coordinating and supporting their local authorities in this work and in helping to develop place-based approaches. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, Best Start in Life regional leads and departmental officials regularly engage with stakeholders, including metro mayors and combined authorities regarding place-based approaches across skills, education and wider families’ services. For example, this includes learning from and sharing best practice, including the work done by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Cradle to Career programme in Birkenhead.
Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle online conspiracy belief, misinformation and disinformation in the classroom.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department will strengthen media literacy education and skills for young people to critically engage with and assess information from a range of sources in the national curriculum, following the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report. This will help pupils learn how to spot misinformation and disinformation, including AI-generated content, and to develop critical thinking skills.
The department is engaging with sector experts to determine how to reflect this in the updated curriculum and training requirements for teachers. Following public consultation from September, the new curriculum will be taught from September 2028.
Updated relationships, sex and health education guidance, to be implemented from September 2026, includes strengthened content on staying safe online and online wellbeing. Secondary pupils will learn how advertising and information is targeted at them and how to be a discerning consumer of information online, understanding the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation online, including conspiracy theories.
Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Commission into Countering Online Conspiracies in Schools' 2026 Research Insights, published in March 2026, what steps she is taking to improve access to training for school staff on responding to misinformation and conspiracy theories, in the context of the finding that 35 per cent of school staff have received no such training.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department will strengthen media literacy education and skills for young people to critically engage with and assess information from a range of sources in the national curriculum, following the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report. This will help pupils learn how to spot misinformation and disinformation, including AI-generated content, and to develop critical thinking skills.
The department is engaging with sector experts to determine how to reflect this in the updated curriculum and training requirements for teachers. Following public consultation from September, the new curriculum will be taught from September 2028.
Updated relationships, sex and health education guidance, to be implemented from September 2026, includes strengthened content on staying safe online and online wellbeing. Secondary pupils will learn how advertising and information is targeted at them and how to be a discerning consumer of information online, understanding the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation online, including conspiracy theories.