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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what was the total value of non-contractual severance payments across the department in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings on 26 March 2026, PQ UIN 121696.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many departmental employees were on performance management plans in (a) 2023, (b) 2024, and (c) 2025.

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

The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.

However, Defra is committed to thorough performance management and has in place robust processes to ensure that those who fall below the expected standards are supported to improve in a timely manner. Those who cannot improve their performance, despite this additional support, may be dismissed.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many and what proportion of foreign nationals are employed by her Department within its UK operations.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not routinely capture or hold nationality data. Nationality requirements arise only where necessary to meet security clearance criteria and are set out at recruitment. Visa information is not held centrally and, in the absence of a specified timeframe, could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many visas has her Department sponsored for foreign nationals employed in the UK.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not routinely capture or hold nationality data. Nationality requirements arise only where necessary to meet security clearance criteria and are set out at recruitment. Visa information is not held centrally and, in the absence of a specified timeframe, could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress has been made on reforming the ECHR.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Last month, the Steering Committee for Human Rights of the Council of Europe adopted elements for a Council of Europe Political Declaration on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and irregular migration. Negotiations on the Political Declaration continue based on these elements. We are active in negotiations and will continue to work with international partners to ensure that the ECHR remains effective whilst addressing challenges like illegal migration and cross-border crime.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Parental Orders were issued in 2025, 2024 and 2023.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones

The Ministry of Justice publishes regular data on parental orders in our quarterly Family Court statistics bulletin: Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Allegations of misconduct can be multi-faceted and have complex circumstances. Whistleblowing procedures include allegations of public interest and record whether an issue is deemed to be a Civil Service Code breach. To protect the personal data of employees, we do not report on small numbers of cases. The Department does not record the number of cases specifically relating to the Civil Service Code breaches outside of Whistleblowing procedures, but any allegations of such breaches are dealt with seriously as part of internal procedures.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many apprentices the Department recruited in 2025, compared with (a) 2022, (b) 2023, and (c) 2024.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Department had a greater number of apprenticeship starts overall during this period, as the total figures include existing members of staff converting to an apprenticeship in addition to the new recruits shown above. These total apprenticeship starts were primarily composed of existing staff upskilling rather than new external recruitment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department provides to highway authorities on how the place before movement principle should be operationalised in rural transport assessments, particularly where multiple developments exert cumulative impacts across neighbouring settlements.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials work closely with counterparts in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on national planning policy, including how transport is considered in plan‑making and decision‑taking for new development.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2024, requires transport to be considered from the earliest stages of planning, using a vision‑led approach to support well‑designed, sustainable places. This includes integrating movement, streets and parking into scheme design, including in rural areas. The Government consulted on further changes to the NPPF between December 2025 and March 2026 and will publish its response in due course, alongside updated planning guidance.

The Department for Transport has also developed the Government’s Connectivity Tool, which combines land‑use and transport data to provide a consistent measure of access to jobs and essential services. This tool can support authorities and in understanding connectivity and potential changes to connectivity when assessing new development.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to establish a measurable framework for assessing when traffic materially undermines a village’s function as a place, rather than solely assessing vehicle capacity.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport’s Transport Analysis Guidance includes a qualitative methodology for assessing the impacts of transport schemes on townscape, defined as the physical and social characteristics that contribute to a sense of place.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2024, requires a vision‑led approach to transport from the earliest stages of planning, ensuring movement, streets and parking are integral to place‑making. Where significant impacts on the transport network or highway safety are identified, mitigation should be considered to an acceptable degree through this approach. The Government consulted on further changes between December 2025 and March 2026 and will publish its response in due course. Forthcoming updated Planning Practice Guidance on transport assessments will support local authorities in applying these policies.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many civil servants in her Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 9 January in response to Question 100981.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration is given within national transport assessment guidance to cumulative and cross boundary impacts in rural areas, including rat running, school run congestion, and early network stress occurring prior to full occupation of approved developments.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport’s Transport Analysis Guidance provides a technical framework for assessing network‑wide transport impacts, including cumulative and cross‑boundary effects. Through its requirements on scenario testing, forecasting and appraisal of social impacts, Transport Analysis Guidance enables local authorities and developers to identify issues such as rat‑running, congestion at sensitive locations including villages and schools, and early network stress occurring before full occupation or mitigation is in place.

Alongside this, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Planning Practice Guidance on transport assessments makes clear that cumulative impacts from committed development should be taken into account where these affect the same parts of the transport network. MHCLG are currently updating this guidance and this will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of early years funding rates for two and three year olds for meeting staffing costs, including required non contact time for preparation, setup, and safeguarding obligations.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

In 2026/27, the department expects to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements, including an increase of 15% in Early Years Pupil Premium, more than doubling annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24. Staff costs make up the most significant proportion of provider costs. Therefore, due to tighter staffing ratios, the cost of delivery is highest for younger children, which is reflected in the differing hourly funding rates.

To calculate rate uplifts, the department uses an analytical model which considers data from the Early Years Census and the survey of childcare and early years providers, various government forecasts such as average earnings growth and the consumer price index, and the national living wage to determine cost pressures for the early years Sector.

All early years providers are legally required to keep children safe and promote their welfare, and all practitioners must undergo safe training as set out on the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework. To further support settings with safeguarding training requirements, the department is developing a free online safeguarding training package for early years settings which will be available later this spring.

We will consult on changes to how early years funding is distributed later this year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in light of plans to invest £41 million in school expansion, what consideration has been given to directing comparable investment into the early years sector.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

High quality early years is central to our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity, give every child the best possible start in life, and is essential to our Plan for Change. As the government builds a stronger economy with sustainable public finances, the department is continuing to invest in early years. This financial year alone we expect to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements. This more than doubles annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24, as we have successfully rolled-out the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents.

On top of this, we are boosting availability and access through a £400 million capital investment in the school-based nurseries programme, supporting school-led provision and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers and childminders operating from school sites.

The department has already made a real impact, providing £82 million of capital funding to over 600 primary and maintained nursery schools across phases 1 and 2. Phase 3 is backed by up to £325 million of additional funding and invites local authorities to develop multi-year funding proposals that outline plans for new, or expanded, school-based nurseries in their area.

PVIs and childminders can partner with schools and local authorities in phase 3 to help deliver flexible nursery provision from school or Best Start Family Hub sites, building on the 52 funded partnerships from phases 1 and 2.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of statutory requirements on numbers of early years staff being present at least 30 minutes before and after funded sessions; and what funding is available to cover those additional hours and work materials.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

In 2026/27 the department expects to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements, including an increase of 15% in Early Years Pupil Premium, more than doubling annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24. To calculate rate uplifts, we use an analytical model which considers data from the Early Years Census and the survey of childcare and early years providers, various government forecasts such as AEG and CPI, and the national living wage to determine cost pressures for the Early Years Sector. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about childcare delivery issues they may be facing.

The hourly funding rate for entitlement hours is intended to cover the core costs of providing 15 or 30 hours of childcare to parents. This includes costs associated with staffing such as salaries as well as non-staff costs such as rent, business rates and utilities costs associated with delivering the government funded hours.

The department will consult on changes to how early years funding is distributed later this year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent the funding model for early years settings resulting in operating losses for those settings.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

In 2026/27 the department expects to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements, including an increase of 15% in Early Years Pupil Premium, more than doubling annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24. To calculate rate uplifts, we use an analytical model which considers data from the Early Years Census and the survey of childcare and early years providers, various government forecasts such as AEG and CPI, and the national living wage to determine cost pressures for the Early Years Sector. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about childcare delivery issues they may be facing.

The hourly funding rate for entitlement hours is intended to cover the core costs of providing 15 or 30 hours of childcare to parents. This includes costs associated with staffing such as salaries as well as non-staff costs such as rent, business rates and utilities costs associated with delivering the government funded hours.

The department will consult on changes to how early years funding is distributed later this year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what contingency plans are in place in the event that early years settings (a) reduce places and (b) close due to staffing levels.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring adequacy of children provision in their area. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. No local authorities have reported to us that they do not have sufficient childcare places. According to the most recent Official Statistics from Ofsted and the department, childcare places increased by around 17,400 over the last year, equivalent to a 1% rise, between 31 March 2024 and 31 March 2025.

The government is investing in training, qualifications and career pathways to professionalise and strengthen the early years workforce. To help providers with costs, including staffing, funding rates are being significantly uplifted by over £8 billion in 2025/26 and over £9.5 billion in 2026/27, as well as a £75 million grant to grow places and staff.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential rise in cost of rent, utilities, insurance, and food costs on the sustainability of schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

In March 2026, we published the 2026 Schools Costs Technical Note, which includes an estimate of cost pressures for schools’ non-staff costs over the 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years. The analysis shows £1 billion of headroom in schools’ budgets over the next two years, after taking into account the expected rise in non-staff costs.

The department is helping schools and trusts to go further to unlock additional value. We established the Maximising Value for Pupils programme in December 2025 to help schools and groups seize opportunities to maximise value from every pound spent. This includes initiatives like our forthcoming new agency supply staff framework which will tackle excessive supplier margins and the department’s Energy for Schools service, which aggregates sector buying power to protect schools from market volatility; following a successful pilot which identified average savings of 36%, over 1,000 schools are already benefitting from the scheme.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Lee Barron; Johanna Baxter; Mr Peter Bedford