Ranil Jayawardena Portrait

Ranil Jayawardena

Conservative - North East Hampshire

First elected: 7th May 2015


Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
6th Sep 2022 - 25th Oct 2022
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for International Trade)
6th May 2020 - 6th Sep 2022
Panel of Chairs
23rd Mar 2020 - 11th May 2020
Committees on Arms Export Controls (formerly Quadripartite Committee)
10th Oct 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
International Trade Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Procedure Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Committees on Arms Export Controls
10th Oct 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
International Trade Committee
31st Oct 2016 - 3rd May 2017
Home Affairs Committee
8th Jul 2015 - 3rd May 2017


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Ranil Jayawardena has voted in 726 divisions, and 3 times against the majority of their Party.

27 Apr 2021 - Delegated Legislation - View Vote Context
Ranil Jayawardena voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 77 Conservative No votes vs 222 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 431 Noes - 89
18 Oct 2022 - Public Order Bill - View Vote Context
Ranil Jayawardena voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 103 Conservative No votes vs 113 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 297 Noes - 110
7 Mar 2023 - Public Order Bill - View Vote Context
Ranil Jayawardena voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 107 Conservative Aye votes vs 109 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 116 Noes - 299
View All Ranil Jayawardena Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker)
(15 debate interactions)
Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op))
Shadow Minister (International Trade)
(14 debate interactions)
Emily Thornberry (Labour)
Shadow Attorney General
(6 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for International Trade
(236 debate contributions)
Department for Business and Trade
(11 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(7 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Ranil Jayawardena's debates

North East Hampshire Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

The Government must exercise its power under s.23 of the Gender Recognition Act to modify the operation of the Equality Act 2010 by specifying the terms sex, male, female, man & woman, in the operation of that law, mean biological sex and not "sex as modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate"

It has been reported that the Government may amend the Equality Act to "make it clear that sex means biological sex rather than gender." The Government has previously committed to not remove legal protections for trans people, an already marginalised group, but this change would do so.


Latest EDMs signed by Ranil Jayawardena

Ranil Jayawardena has not signed any Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Ranil Jayawardena, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Ranil Jayawardena has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Ranil Jayawardena has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

1 Bill introduced by Ranil Jayawardena


A Bill applying to England to provide for the introduction of first past the post elections of mayors, the London Assembly and Police and Crime Commissioners; to require elections for mayors, the London Assembly, Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities to take place on the same day; to abolish the election of councillors by halves or thirds to local authorities; to allow a person to be a Member of the House of Commons and to hold any elected local government office, including that of Police and Crime Commissioner, at the same time; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 7th December 2016
(Read Debate)

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
2 Other Department Questions
19th Oct 2023
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Westminster Hall debate of 12 June 2023 on Legislative Definition of Sex, what progress her Department has made on its policy on clarifying the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010.

The Minister for Women and Equalities sought advice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on the benefits or otherwise of an amendment to the Equality Act 2010 on the current definition of 'sex'.

Having received that advice, the Minister for Women and Equalities has asked officials to undertake detailed policy and legal analysis, as per the EHRC’s request, to understand the impact of its advice on various protected groups and related issues arising.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
27th Apr 2023
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make an assessment of the adequacy of the due diligence processes used when awarding a contract for the delivery of Climate Assembly UK.

The procurement process for the delivery of Climate Assembly UK was run fully in line with House practice and legal requirements. It used an Open procedure under the Public Procurement Regulations. In doing so the House of Commons applied objective due diligence criteria related to the contract, including grounds for exclusion from the competition. The process ensured that bidders were managed in an equal, transparent and non-discriminatory manner. Bidders were required to complete a suitability questionnaire and meet criteria based upon quality and value for money considerations. The successful supplier provided the best value for money for the House and delivered a product that was subsequently judged favourably by the independent evaluation process that reviewed its methodology and outputs. The political views of the sub-contractors were not included as part of the evaluation criteria, in line with House practice.

12th Feb 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the correlation between the level of (a) turnout at elections and (b) detection of electoral fraud.

The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the correlation between the level of turnout at elections and detection of electoral fraud.

20th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the effect on the public purse of holding combined local elections every four years for local authorities, police and crime commissioners, regional mayors and the Greater London Authority.

The Government has not made an assessment of the effect on the public purse of holding combined elections every four years. Not all local authorities hold their council elections on a four-year cycle and new elected positions can be created, as we have seen for local authority and combined authority mayors in recent years.

Combined polls will often result in lower overall costs to public funds both in respect of the Consolidated Fund and the relevant devolved administration or local authority sources. Combination has also been shown to increase turnout in instances where a poll that traditionally experiences low turnout is combined with a poll where turnout is higher.

5th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to prevent damage from deep-sea mining; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of issuing moratorium on deep-sea mining.

The UK’s policy is not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems, and strong enforceable environmental Regulations, Standards and Guidelines have been developed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and are in place. The UK’s approach is both precautionary and conditional.

The Government commissioned an independent review from the British Geological Survey, the National Oceanography Centre and Heriot-Watt University. The terms of reference included a review of minerals contained in seafloor deposits and how this compares to terrestrial resources, with discussion on future resource potential and knowledge gaps. The review was published in October 2022 and is available here: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/deep-sea-mining-evidence-review-published/

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
1st Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will review the Levelised Cost of Electricity to take account of the (a) full cost of energy and (b) energy return on energy invested.

The Department will soon be publishing updated analysis comparing the cost of electricity generation across renewable and selected non-renewable technologies, reflecting the latest evidence. This will be published by the end of March 2024. The Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) is a widely used metric which provides a simple way to compare costs across technologies. There are alternative metrics, such as the Energy Return on Investment but all metrics have limitations. Some additional factors than for LCOEs, such as timing and location of generation can be considered by enhanced LCOE analysis. Full system costs are evaluated by the Department’s power modelling.

Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
22nd Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to ensure that hydrogen blending into the gas grid does not lead to higher gas bills for households and industry.

The Government is building evidence to determine if blending meets the required safety standards and represents value for money, which will be essential for blending to be enabled. The Government is working closely with Ofgem and industry to explore options for a future billing methodology that could fairly incorporate hydrogen blends, protecting consumers in the process.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
22nd Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to develop a strategic vision for the blending of hydrogen as part of a transition to the use of hydrogen alone.

The Government is building evidence to determine if blending meets the required safety standards and represents value for money, which will be essential for blending to be enabled. The Government is working closely with Ofgem and industry to explore options for a future billing methodology that could fairly incorporate hydrogen blends, protecting consumers in the process.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
6th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make it his policy to mandate the installation of solar panels in car parks over a certain capacity to increase the UK's renewable energy generation.

The Government is looking to facilitate and promote extensive deployment of rooftop solar on industrial and commercial property in order to make maximum usage of available surfaces for business as well as environmental and climate benefits.

The Government will consider how else to extend deployment further, including with solar car parks.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
27th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, lnnovation and Technology, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve 4G connectivity in (a) remote and (b) other areas.

This Government understands the frustration arising from the impact poor mobile coverage has on some communities, particularly in rural and remote areas. That is why we agreed a deal with the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to deliver the Shared Rural Network (SRN) which will extend 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass by the end of 2025, underpinned by legally binding spectrum obligations.

The SRN will improve mobile coverage for an extra 280,000 premises and 16,000km of roads and will lead to increases in coverage across all four nations, with the biggest coverage improvements in rural parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

In fact the programme is already delivering coverage improvements across the UK with 4G coverage now at 92%, up from 91% when the SRN agreement was signed in March 2020. The MNOs have now deployed more than 150 new sites and have upgraded over 1,500 sites across the UK. On 3 May we announced the activation of the first government-funded SRN phone mast upgrade in Lockerbie, Scotland.

As part of our Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, we have asked Ofcom to improve the accuracy of their reporting of mobile coverage and network performance in rural areas.

19th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department on reviewing rules on the sale of pint sized bottles of English sparkling wine.

The quantities in which pre-packed alcohol, including English sparkling wine, can be sold will be considered as part of the Government’s review of EU-derived law. An update will be provided in due course.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
12th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increased use of hydrogen energy on household bills; and what steps he is taking to promote the use of hydrogen energy by consumers.

Low carbon hydrogen is critical to delivering energy security, presents a significant growth opportunity, and will help the UK reach net zero. The UK approach is to promote every aspect of the hydrogen economy: production, demand, networks and storage. The Government will ensure that its approach to developing the hydrogen economy takes into account wider government priorities and policies – including considerations related to the affordability of energy bills. This, combined with targeted innovation funding and a facilitative regulatory environment, will unlock hydrogen uptake across key end use sectors.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
2nd Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Department for Health and Social Care on the impact on care homes who are unable to get added to the priority list for power recovery during a power cut or qualify for a permanent supply line.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working closely with the Department of Health & Social Care to mitigate the impacts associated with the upcoming winter.

Care homes are not included on the list of Approved Designated Services as set out in the Electricity Supply Emergency Code, and therefore do not qualify for Protected Site status. Sites are ultimately still responsible for their own business continuity and should not rely on being on the Protected Sites List for their power resilience. The Electricity Supply Emergency Code only applies to certain scenarios and does not give sites complete coverage for all possible power disruption events.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
29th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of mandating car parks over a certain size to be covered in solar panels.

The Government is pleased to see examples of solar installations in UK car parks such as in York, Glasgow and Leeds and is considering how to encourage more.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
21st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support SMEs in North East Hampshire.

Businesses in North East Hampshire will have benefitted from a range of Government measures, including reversal of the National Insurance rise, which will save SMEs approximately £4,200 on average, cut to fuel duty for 12 months and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which will protect small businesses from high energy costs over the winter. Furthermore, we have raised the Employment Allowance to £5,000 and are freezing the business rates multiplier for another year to protect businesses from rising inflation, worth £9.3 billion over the next 5 years.

In addition, finance is available to SMEs across the UK through the Recovery Loan Scheme, and the Start Up loan scheme has provided 84 SMEs in North East Hampshire with loans to the value of £926,620 as of October 2022.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
27th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to support orchestras.

HM Government is proud to champion our world-class orchestras and musicians, and help them to thrive. Through Arts Council England’s 2023–26 Investment Programme, more money is going to more orchestral organisations in more parts of the country than ever before.

The Arts Council’s new national portfolio is supporting 139 organisations classed as ‘music’ by investing c.£65 million of public funding. The Arts Council’s investment in classical music remains high, in particular in orchestral music organisations, with 23 such organisations being funded – an increase from 19 in the last round; and at around £21 million per annum, which is around £2 million more than previously. Moreover, these numbers are likely to underestimate the level of music activity being funded as some organisations will fall into combined arts or non-discipline-specific categories. The Arts Council’s investment in orchestras, opera, and other classical organisations through the new portfolio constitutes nearly 80% of all its investment in music.

Organisations such as the Multi-Story Orchestra, Orchestras for All, ParaOrchestra, The People’s Orchestra, and Pegasus Opera are joining the National Portfolio for the first time – bringing down barriers to classical music, celebrating the power it can have in people’s lives, and inspiring the next generation of performers – while long-established organisations such as the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, and the Hallé Orchestra continue to receive funding.

Furthermore, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at Spring Budget 2023 that the Government will extend the current headline rates of relief for the Theatre and Orchestra Tax Relief for two years. The rates for Orchestra Tax Relief will remain at 50% for expenditure taking place from 1 April 2023, reducing to 35% from 1 April 2025 and returning to 25% from 1 April 2026.

12th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to help (a) support village cricket clubs and (b) increase the number of people playing cricket in England.

Supporting grassroots sport is a key government priority. DCMS is working alongside Sport England in order to support their ten year strategy to drive up participation rates across all sports, including cricket.

Sport England has invested more than £23 million into cricket over the last five years, including more than £3.9 million to support grassroots clubs through the immediate challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. In North East Hampshire, Stratfield Turgis & Hartley Wespall Cricket Club received £20,000 in 2018 as part of the Community Asset Fund and £3,600 through the ‘Return to Play Fund’ last summer, to support adaptations for the return of cricket post-pandemic.

Sport England funding to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) focuses on tackling the inequalities which exist within the game, such as expanding the talent pathway for the women’s and girls game, increasing opportunities for disabled children and supporting governance reform and inclusive leadership support across the County Network.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
7th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that sure homes in Hampshire that are not included in the gigabit broadband tendering process by suppliers can still get superfast broadband.

In Hampshire, just over 97% of premises can access superfast broadband (>=30Mbps), which is in line with the UK national average.

As part of Project Gigabit, we have launched a regional procurement in Hampshire, to bring gigabit-capable broadband to up to 88,000 hard-to-reach premises that are not included in suppliers’ commercial build plans. We have also launched a local procurement in the New Forest area, which will connect an estimated further 10,000 premises. The two contracts have a combined indicative value of almost £120 million and we aim to award contracts between April and June 2023.

Eligible premises in Hampshire can also receive a gigabit-capable connection through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. We recently announced an increase in the value of these vouchers so that new projects can receive as much as £4,500 towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband in rural and particularly hard-to-reach areas.

For the very hardest to reach premises which are unlikely to receive gigabit-capable connectivity via either a commercial or government funded delivery mechanism, the Government is determined to explore all possible options to improve their broadband connectivity, including solutions such as satellite and fixed wireless access technologies.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
5th Mar 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to respond to the findings of the National Audit Office report entitled Gambling regulation: problem gambling and protecting vulnerable people, published 28 February 2020.

The government is committed to reducing gambling-related harm and works closely with the Gambling Commission. We have committed to review the Gambling Act 2005 and will announce further details in due course. We welcome the National Audit Office’s report on Gambling Regulation: Problem Gambling and Protecting Vulnerable People and are considering its recommendations carefully.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
10th Feb 2020
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to roll out gigabit broadband (a) in Hampshire and (b) throughout the UK.

The Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit capable connectivity as soon as possible. Much progress has already been made, with full fibre coverage doubling in the past year to reach 10% of UK premises.

This Government will continue to take action to remove barriers to network rollout and to ensure that those in the hardest to reach areas are not left behind. We have introduced legislation to make it easier for operators to deploy broadband in blocks of flats, will be legislating to mandate gigabit connectivity in new builds and will provide £5 billion of funding to support rollout in hard to reach areas.

Specifically in Hampshire, the government has invested heavily in this county, with over £15million of government funding allocated. Full fibre coverage stands at 9%, marginally below the UK figure of c.10%.

Virgin Media switched on full gigabit capability to Southampton in September 2019, whilst CityFibre, Toob and Trooli have all announced plans to invest in full fibre networks. Toob is aiming to cover 100,000 premises in Southampton with full fibre by the end of 2021, while Trooli has been undertaking work in the villages of Ropley and Bramdean.

The Government is also supporting deployment in Hampshire with projects in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight through the Local Full Fibre Networks programme.

22nd Jan 2020
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the voluntary ban on gambling adverts during live, pre-watershed sport on TV that was introduced in 2019 on trends in the level of gambling addiction; and if she will make it her policy to encourage an extension of that ban to (a) family television shows and (b) on-demand services.

The Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising prohibits gambling advertising on television before 9pm, except in a limited number of circumstances, those being for bingo, lotteries, and until last year, sports betting around televised sport. In August 2019 the Industry group for Responsible Gambling extended its voluntary commitment to include advertising during sporting events. This includes a ‘whistle-to-whistle’ ban on all TV betting adverts during pre-watershed live sport, starting five minutes before the event begins, and ending five minutes after it finishes. This also applies to live streaming of events online. Additional measures include an end to betting adverts around highlight shows and re-runs, and an end to pre-watershed bookmaker sponsorship of sports programmes. The code also bans free sign-up offers being targeted at new customers before 9pm and requires all TV adverts to feature a responsible gambling message for the duration of the advert.

Gambling operators who advertise to a UK audience have to comply with the advertising codes of practice issued by the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), which are enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The codes apply across all advertising platforms, including broadcast, online and social media. A wide range of provisions in the codes are designed to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm. For example, gambling adverts must not appear during programming commissioned for or principally directed at children, or during programmes likely to appeal directly to children. Gambling adverts also must not portray, condone or encourage gambling behaviour that is socially irresponsible. These rules also apply to on demand services.

We will continue to monitor issues around gambling advertising and consider any new evidence carefully, including the ASA’s forthcoming report looking at children’s exposure to age restricted advertising in 2019.

Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
22nd Jan 2020
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make (a) an assessment of the implications for her policies of the fact that over half of child gamblers last gambled at a family arcade or amusement centre and (b) it her policy to review category D provisions that exempt family arcades from needing a licence to operate machines with money prizes.

Protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling is a core objective of the regulation of gambling in Great Britain, and a priority for the government. The Government has committed to review the Gambling Act 2005 and will announce further details in due course.

Depending on the category of machines they offer, Family Entertainment Centres (FECs) may require either a licence from the Gambling Commission or a permit from the local authority. FECs which are not licensed by the Commission may offer only category D machines and fall under the control of the local authority. Category D machines include crane grabs and penny falls; slot machines with a money prize are permitted a maximum stake of 10p and maximum prize of £5.

In considering applications for FEC permits, the local authority must have regard to the licensing objectives in the Gambling Act 2005, which include preventing children from being harmed and exploited by gambling. The machine supplier must also be licensed by the Gambling Commission.

Voluntary action is being taken by the sector to improve safer gambling standards in all FECs and the government will continue to challenge operators to build on this. For example, in November the arcades trade association BACTA announced a new rule in its Code of Conduct preventing young people under the age of 16 playing on category D slot machines with a money prize unless accompanied by an adult.

The evidence suggests that the number of children and young people participating in gambling is reducing. The Gambling Commission’s annual survey of young people in 2019 found that 11% had spent their own money on a gambling activity in the 7 days prior to taking part in the study, compared to 14% in 2018 and 23% in 2011.

Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
23rd Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of changes to SEND Regulations in 2014.

As part of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) review, the department examined how the SEND system has evolved since 2014 and how the department could ensure it works best for all families with effective and sustainable use of resources.

During the review, the department heard frequently that, whilst the 2014 reforms had high aspirations and were underpinned by principles that continue to be broadly supported, insufficient attention was paid to their implementation which meant their ambitions were never fully realised.

That is why the department has committed in the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper, and reaffirmed in the SEND and AP Improvement Plan, to support delivery of the new reforms through a £70 million Change Programme which was launched in September 2023. The department is working through nine Change Programme Partnerships, covering 32 local areas, to test and refine key reform proposals and to support local SEND and AP systems across the country to manage local improvement.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
13th Dec 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the need for health services to support local authorities that provide transport to school for children with complex health needs.

The department’s school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. When a local authority makes travel arrangements for a child with medical needs, they should consider whether and how those needs might affect them during their journey to and from school and, where necessary, put in place proportionate arrangements to manage those needs.

Local authority school travel teams may need to work with local partners to make suitable travel arrangements for children with medical needs, and should be able to expect the support of their local authority’s special educational needs team, local health partners, and the schools to which they arrange travel.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
21st Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the national funding formula for schools and high needs.

The National Funding Formula (NFF) replaced a system which was unfair, lacked transparency and was out of date. Schools and local areas received very different levels of funding, with little or no justification. By comparison, the NFF distributes funding fairly, based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics.

Moving to a ‘direct’ NFF, where all schools’ budgets are determined directly by the national formula, will ultimately ensure that mainstream schools in England are funded on a fair and equitable basis. This will complete the reforms started in 2018 when the department first introduced the NFF to ensure all schools were funded on a consistent assessment of need.

The department keeps the formula under review and will consider further whether and when additional changes might be necessary to ensure that our funding system is kept up to date in a way that is fair and is allocating funding where it is needed most.

Damian Hinds
Minister of State (Education)
15th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the National Funding Formula for schools reflects the needs of children in Hampshire.

The National Funding Formula (NFF) distributes funding fairly, based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics. The NFF includes proxy factors through which pupils with additional needs attract additional funding to their school, such as low prior attainment, socio-economic status, and English as an Additional Language.

Hampshire is attracting an extra £19 million for schools in 2024/25, an increase of 2.0% per pupil (excluding growth funding) through the schools NFF compared to 2023/24, and an increase of 13.3% per pupil compared to 2021/22. This takes total funding for 2024/25 in Hampshire to over £986 million, based on current pupil numbers. Final allocations for 2024/25 will be announced in December 2024.

All schools will receive additional funding, beyond that provided through the NFF, through the Teachers Pay Additional Grant (TPAG) in the 2024/25 financial year. A typical primary school with 200 pupils might be receiving around £20,000 through the TPAG in 2024/25, and a typical secondary school with 900 pupils might be receiving around £100,000.

Damian Hinds
Minister of State (Education)
18th Oct 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on introducing early intervention services for children without an education, health and care plan.

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published March 2023, set out the department’s plans to deliver an inclusive system with improved, high-quality mainstream provision where children and young people have their needs identified early and can access prompt, evidence-based, targeted support. This will mean that more children and young people can have their needs met, without the need to rely on an Education, Health and Care plan to get the support they need. Our plan includes testing approaches to early intervention services through, for example, a Speech, Language and Communication Needs pilot, the Early Language Support for Every Child, co-funded with NHS England.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
5th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing funding for education, health and care plan support for children with SEND at independent schools.

Local authorities have the flexibility to place children and young people with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans in independent schools. Where they choose to do so, the local authority must fund the cost of the placement. In January 2023, local authorities placed 21,324 children and young people in independent special schools and 6,337 in other independent schools.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
3rd May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made on the number of false or malicious reports to social services since May 2022.

The government considers any malicious reporting and false claims made to children’s social care as completely unacceptable. It is a cruel practice, a terrible ordeal for the families affected, and can distract services from undertaking vital child protection work.

However, it is right that people should remain able to flag concerns about children they believe to be vulnerable, and that social services fulfil their duty to treat each safeguarding case seriously and to undertake enquiries if they believe a child has suffered or is likely to suffer harm. Therefore government is not currently looking to make false or malicious reports to social services a criminal offence.

The information requested on the number of false or malicious reports to social services is not held by the department.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
3rd May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has taken steps to make false or malicious reports to social services a criminal offence.

The government considers any malicious reporting and false claims made to children’s social care as completely unacceptable. It is a cruel practice, a terrible ordeal for the families affected, and can distract services from undertaking vital child protection work.

However, it is right that people should remain able to flag concerns about children they believe to be vulnerable, and that social services fulfil their duty to treat each safeguarding case seriously and to undertake enquiries if they believe a child has suffered or is likely to suffer harm. Therefore government is not currently looking to make false or malicious reports to social services a criminal offence.

The information requested on the number of false or malicious reports to social services is not held by the department.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
2nd Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential effectiveness of new vape detectors in helping schools prevent vaping on school grounds.

Schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy that sets out what is expected of all pupils, including which items are banned from school premises.

The Department trusts headteachers to develop tailored behaviour policies which reflect their school’s individual contexts and needs, and decide themselves the best methods to enforce these policies.

28th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding North East Hampshire schools (a) received in 2015 and (b) will receive this year.

School funding allocations for the 2015/16 financial year can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-block-funding-allocations-2015-to-2016. This provides the actual budget allocations received by individual schools, calculated according to Local Authorities’ school funding formulae.

In the 2018/19 financial year, the Department introduced changes to the school funding system with a new schools National Funding Formula (NFF) to devise notional individual school budgets.

Through the schools NFF, schools in North East Hampshire are attracting £69 million in total this year. This represents a 2.6% cash increase and reflects 2.5% more per pupil in their pupil led funding, compared to 2021/22. Schools’ actual allocations in the 2022/23 financial year will be based on Local Authorities’ local funding formulae.

On top of this funding through the NFF, schools in North East Hampshire are seeing £1.9 million through the Schools Supplementary Grant (SSG) in the 2022/23 financial year. The SSG was first introduced in 2022/23, with no equivalent grant in previous years.

22nd Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of educational choice for parents of children with SEND in North East Hampshire constituency.

A joint local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection of Hampshire was undertaken by Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) in March 2020. At the time, inspectors identified no significant areas of weakness in SEND services.

The department’s SEND data collection is about a full local authority and does not analyse by districts. Nor do we collect data on the level or range of choices of provision in each local area.

Local authorities are statutorily responsible (under the Children and Families Act 2014) for keeping their local offer of services and provision for children and young people with SEND under review, in co-production with parents, young people and educational providers. It is for local authorities to ensure there are sufficient good school places for all pupils, including those with SEND. The Hampshire local offer provides some information about schools by major towns in Hampshire, but not by districts. Further information can be accessed here: https://fish.hants.gov.uk/kb5/hampshire/directory/results.page?familychannel=6-1-3. Under the Act, parents or young people have the statutory right to request that a particular school, further education college in England or other educational institution is named in their Education, Health, and Care plan.

In March 2022, the department announced High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) amounting to a new investment of over £1.4 billion. This funding is to support local authorities to deliver new places for academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25, and to improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision (AP). This funding forms part of the £2.6 billion the department is investing between 2022 and 2025 and represents a significant, transformational investment in new high needs provision. It will support local authorities to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings, and will also be used to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.

Hampshire’s provisional high needs revenue funding allocation for 2023/24 will be £187.2 million, a 24% per head increase over two years on the amount of high needs funding allocated in 2021/22. In addition to this funding, the 2022 Autumn Statement announced that the national core schools budget (covering both mainstream schools and high needs) will increase by £2 billion in 2023/24 and a further £2 billion in 2024/25, over and above totals announced in the 2021Spending Review. We will confirm plans for how this additional funding will be allocated shortly.

Hampshire received a total of just over £31.3 million through the HNPCA announced in March 2022. This amount represents funding for financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24 and will help the local authority to create new places and improve facilities for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities or who require alternative provision. Prior to that, the local authority received just below £6.8 million through its 2021/22 HNPCA funding announced in April 2021.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
18th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the impact of the rising cost of living on teachers in north Hampshire; and whether he plans for the Education and Skills Funding Agency to conduct a review of the areas classed as London fringe.

Schools will benefit from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. This will reduce how much schools need to spend on their energy, and give schools greater certainty over their budgets through the winter months. The Department knows that every school’s circumstances are different, and where schools are in serious financial difficulty, they should contact their Local Authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The 2022/23 pay awards should be viewed in parallel with the Government’s £37 billion package of support for the Cost of Living, which is targeted to those most in need. The Government has also taken action to limit energy bills for households through the Energy Price Guarantee. The typical household, which had been facing forecast bills of £6,000, can now expect to pay £2,500 per year for average usage.

Decisions on pay ranges are based on recommendations by the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), the independent body that advises on teachers’ pay and conditions.

The geographical areas covered by the different ranges were defined some years ago to reflect a practical approach to compensate teachers working in London, and the STRB has not recommended any changes since then, although the Department will consider these issues in the future.

Pay awards must strike a careful balance, recognising the vital importance of teachers and other public sector workers, whilst delivering value for the taxpayer. The Department has implemented the STRB’s recommendation of an 8.9% uplift to starting salaries outside London in the 2022/23 academic year, keeping the Department on track for delivering its manifesto commitment of a £30,000 starting salary. The Department has implemented the STRB’s recommendation of a 5% pay uplift for experienced teachers and leaders in the 2022/23 academic year. This award constituted the highest pay award for experienced teachers in 30 years.

13th Mar 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will allow the free childcare entitlement to be used to allow parents to utilise fewer hours in a more expensive childcare setting; and what consideration his Department has given to allowing that entitlement to be used more flexibly.

The department wants parents to have access to a range of affordable childcare, giving them increased flexibility in their working hours. The government funded early years entitlements is intended to deliver 15-30 hours a week (for 38 weeks of the year) of free, high quality, flexible childcare for eligible two-, three- and four-year olds. It is not intended to cover the costs of meals, other consumables (such as nappies and sun cream), additional hours or additional services (such as trips) and providers may charge parents for these.

While many providers will offer 15-30 hours of free childcare per week during term time (38 weeks of the year), this offer can be delivered flexibly. All of the free entitlements can be stretched by taking fewer hours per week over up to 52 weeks of the year to cover term-time and the school holidays.

Some providers will only offer free hours during school term times or only offer free hours stretched over the year whilst others provide a mixture of the two. As set out in the department’s statutory guidance for local authorities, to ensure that parents can make informed decisions on their choice of childcare, providers should publish a statement of how they deliver the free entitlements and any additional charges for optional activities.

11th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to (a) encourage boys to study a foreign language at (i) GCSE and (ii) A-Level and (b) improve the performance of boys studying a foreign language at those levels.

?Since the Department introduced the English Baccalaureate performance measure in 2010, which includes languages, the proportion of GCSE entries from pupils in state-funded schools in a modern foreign language (MFL) has increased from 40% in 2010 to 47% in 2019. The reformed National Curriculum now makes it compulsory for pupils in maintained schools to be taught a foreign language in Key Stage 2.

We are investing in a range of programmes to increase uptake of languages at GCSE. Our £4.8m MFL Pedagogy Pilot commenced in December 2018, and is designed to improve uptake and attainment in languages at Key Stages 3 and 4. We have also launched a pilot project in MFL undergraduate mentoring for secondary school pupils to drive up participation in the subject, specifically targeting areas of high disadvantage to extend access to languages for all pupils.

22nd Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the findings of Gambling Commission's Young people and gambling survey 2019 published on 23 October 2019, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on educating school children about the risks of gambling and in-game loot boxes and (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing the levies on gambling to pay for such education.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, meets regularly with Cabinet colleagues to discuss the agenda of the Department for Education. This includes relevant topics covered by the new subjects of relationships education (for primary age pupils), relationships and sex education (for secondary age pupils) and health education (for all pupils in state-funded schools). The Department for Education has worked with other Departments, including the Department for Health and Social Care, in developing the content for the new curriculum subjects which will be taught in schools from September 2020.

The Department for Education wants to equip young people for adult life and to make a positive contribution to society. The statutory guidance for the new subjects was published in June 2019, which is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/805781/Relationships_Education__Relationships_and_Sex_Education__RSE__and_Health_Education.pdf.

The subjects will support all young people in terms of managing risk, making informed decisions, as well as in key aspects such as mental wellbeing and online behavior. Under the topic of internet safety and harms, it sets out that young people should be taught about the risks related to online gambling, including the accumulation of debt, how advertising and information is targeted at them, and how to be a discerning consumer of information online.

19th Dec 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the illegal trade of ivory.

The UK Government is committed to protecting endangered animals and plants from poaching and illegal trade to benefit wildlife, local communities and the economy while protecting global security.

The UK Ivory Act 2018 came into force in June 2022, making it illegal to deal in items made of or containing elephant ivory, and in May this year we announced that the Act will be extended to other ivory bearing species. The Act contains offences for those who breach the ban, with a mix of civil and criminal sanctions, with a maximum fine of £250,000 or five years’ imprisonment.

The UK Government plays a leading role in tackling illegal wildlife trade and we are increasing funding by a further £30 million between 2022 and 2025. We have committed funding through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund on multiple projects to support protections for elephants, including £1 million to PAMS Foundation to strengthen law enforcement in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Malawi to secure effective wildlife criminal prosecutions.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
19th Dec 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many rangers received funding from his Department to help tackle the poaching of elephants in the latest period for which data is available.

The UK is committed to combatting the illegal wildlife trade (IWT). We are increasing our funding and will invest a further £30 million between 2022 and 2025.

Defra Ministers and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials at Posts regularly discuss important conservation matters including poaching of elephants. For example, the UK signed a letter of intent in December 2023 with Cameroon’s Minister of the Environment, Nature Protection, and Sustainable Development to deliver the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund.

Defra provides support for a variety of different projects that support rangers and protect elephants through the IWT Challenge Fund and direct programming, which are detailed below.

  • Defra’s grant scheme – the IWT Challenge Fund – has supported projects to change behaviours, strengthen wildlife crime legislation, and help communities to protect the wildlife they rely on for their livelihoods. More information is available at https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/.

  • Our support for rangers includes the British military’s Defra-funded Counter IWT Ranger Training Programme, which has helped wildlife parks work together to strengthen law enforcement and share information to disrupt smuggling and poaching across Africa.
  • The UK is investing at least £12 million Overseas Development Assistance between 2024 and 2030 in Cameroon, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo through the £100 million Biodiverse Landscapes Fund. This programme aims to protect biodiversity and reduce poverty, with measures that intend to reduce human wildlife conflict and combat the illegal wildlife trade.

Information on total number of rangers is not available as we do not aggregate this data.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
19th Dec 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps with (a) international counterparts, (b) charities and (c) rangers to help tackle the poaching of elephants.

The UK is committed to combatting the illegal wildlife trade (IWT). We are increasing our funding and will invest a further £30 million between 2022 and 2025.

Defra Ministers and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials at Posts regularly discuss important conservation matters including poaching of elephants. For example, the UK signed a letter of intent in December 2023 with Cameroon’s Minister of the Environment, Nature Protection, and Sustainable Development to deliver the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund.

Defra provides support for a variety of different projects that support rangers and protect elephants through the IWT Challenge Fund and direct programming, which are detailed below.

  • Defra’s grant scheme – the IWT Challenge Fund – has supported projects to change behaviours, strengthen wildlife crime legislation, and help communities to protect the wildlife they rely on for their livelihoods. More information is available at https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/.

  • Our support for rangers includes the British military’s Defra-funded Counter IWT Ranger Training Programme, which has helped wildlife parks work together to strengthen law enforcement and share information to disrupt smuggling and poaching across Africa.
  • The UK is investing at least £12 million Overseas Development Assistance between 2024 and 2030 in Cameroon, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo through the £100 million Biodiverse Landscapes Fund. This programme aims to protect biodiversity and reduce poverty, with measures that intend to reduce human wildlife conflict and combat the illegal wildlife trade.

Information on total number of rangers is not available as we do not aggregate this data.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
19th Dec 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in (a) the Ivory Coast, (b) Ghana, (c) Central African Republic, (d) Gabon, (e) Cameroon and (f) other countries in the region on taking further steps to help tackle the poaching of forest (i) elephants and (ii) elephant calves.

The UK is committed to combatting the illegal wildlife trade (IWT). We are increasing our funding and will invest a further £30 million between 2022 and 2025.

Defra Ministers and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials at Posts regularly discuss important conservation matters including poaching of elephants. For example, the UK signed a letter of intent in December 2023 with Cameroon’s Minister of the Environment, Nature Protection, and Sustainable Development to deliver the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund.

Defra provides support for a variety of different projects that support rangers and protect elephants through the IWT Challenge Fund and direct programming, which are detailed below.

  • Defra’s grant scheme – the IWT Challenge Fund – has supported projects to change behaviours, strengthen wildlife crime legislation, and help communities to protect the wildlife they rely on for their livelihoods. More information is available at https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/.

  • Our support for rangers includes the British military’s Defra-funded Counter IWT Ranger Training Programme, which has helped wildlife parks work together to strengthen law enforcement and share information to disrupt smuggling and poaching across Africa.
  • The UK is investing at least £12 million Overseas Development Assistance between 2024 and 2030 in Cameroon, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo through the £100 million Biodiverse Landscapes Fund. This programme aims to protect biodiversity and reduce poverty, with measures that intend to reduce human wildlife conflict and combat the illegal wildlife trade.

Information on total number of rangers is not available as we do not aggregate this data.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the ability of local authorities to design local waste disposal services.

Subject to compliance with regulations and having regard to any statutory guidance, local authorities currently have the ability to design their local waste disposal services.

Robbie Moore
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
14th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of lead emissions from (a) petrol use, (b) tyre and break wear and (c) other types of use of road vehicles in the last 12 months.

Lead emissions are estimated in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory. The latest data available is for 2021. Data for 2023 will be published in February 2025.

Across the UK there were 34.5 tonnes of lead emissions from road transport in 2021, of which 34.1 tonnes were from tyre and brake wear, 0.36 tonnes were from petrol use, and 0.01 tonnes were from other sources in road transport (including diesel engines, lubricant use and natural gas).

Lead emissions from road transport have declined over the long term, largely due to a decline in emissions from the combustion of petrol (falling 99.9% since 1970).

Robbie Moore
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
13th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the level of lead emissions from iron and steel production in the last 12 months.

Iron and steel installations in England are regulated under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016. All large industrial facilities must comply with environmental permits, use best available techniques (BAT) to reduce emissions to air, water and land, and monitor and report their emissions. The data submitted by operators is published on the UK Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR). Data from 2022, including lead emissions from iron and steel sites, will be published in December 2023.

The National Atmospheric Emission Inventory estimates total lead emissions from these industries. Data for 2023 will be published in February 2025.

Robbie Moore
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
17th Oct 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of waste disposal charges on fly-tipping.

In 2021, we commissioned research into the drivers, deterrents and impacts of fly-tipping. It suggested that any friction in the services provided by local authorities, such as charges for waste disposal services, may impact on levels of fly-tipping. The report is available at Science Search (defra.gov.uk).

We believe it is important that local residents are able to dispose of their rubbish in a responsible and convenient manner. That is why last year we consulted on preventing charges for householders to dispose of DIY waste at household waste recycling centres. The government response was published on 18 June and we will be introducing legislation at the end of the year.

In our Waste Prevention Programme: Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste, we have committed to consult by 2025 on removing the fee for consumers to have bulky domestic furniture collected from their homes. This will make it easier for them to do the right thing with their items when they are no longer required.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
19th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) developing and (b) using regenerable per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances as absorbing materials to help reduce the levels of carcinogenic and other toxic substances in drinking water.

The drinking water supply in England is of exceptionally high quality. Nevertheless, the Drinking Water Inspectorate has led the way through water safety planning to drive risk based research should there be the potential to change our world leading position. The removal of PFAS by barrier and adsorption methodologies is an ongoing DWI funded project due to report in the summer of 2024.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)