Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the national funding formula on educational outcomes in (a) rural areas, (b) Wiltshire and (c) other counties with lower levels of funding.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The government recognises the essential role that small schools play in their communities, many of which are in rural areas. The schools national funding formula (NFF) accounts for the particular challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum and sparsity factor.
In the 2025/26 financial year, the sparsity factor provides eligible primary schools up to £57,400, and all other eligible schools up to £83,400. In 2025/26, 64 schools in Wiltshire attract additional funding through the sparsity factor. In addition to this, all small and rural schools have benefited from the increase to core factors in the NFF in 2025/26, including the NFF lump sum set at £145,100. The lump sum provides a fixed amount of funding that is particularly beneficial to small schools, as it is not affected by pupil numbers.
The purpose of the schools NFF is not to give every school the same level of per pupil funding. It is right that schools with lots of pupils with additional needs, such as those indicated by measures of deprivation or low prior attainment, receive extra funding to help them meet the needs of all their pupils.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Dedicated Schools Grant per pupil in Wiltshire relative to comparator authorities with similar pupil numbers and demographics.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Local authorities’ dedicated schools grant (DSG) allocations are calculated using the national funding formula (NFF), by reference to their numbers of pupils and schools, and their characteristics. The purpose of the NFF is not to give every school the same level of per pupil funding. It is right that schools with lots of pupils with additional needs, such as those indicated by measures of deprivation or low prior attainment, receive extra funding to help them meet the needs of all their pupils. In addition, schools in more expensive areas, like London, attract higher funding per pupil than other parts of the country to reflect the higher costs they face.
We will take the time needed to consider changes to various funding formulae going forward, ensuring that we get any changes right, and recognising the importance of establishing a fair funding system that directs funding where it is needed.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to amend the high needs funding formula to reflect current levels of need and not historic expenditure.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Our aim is to establish a fair education funding system that directs resources to where they are most needed and enable improved support and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Because it is important that we take the time needed to review the high needs national funding formula, the structure of the formula is largely unchanged for the 2025/26 financial year allocations to local authorities.
The department is considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system, which will be set out in further detail in a White Paper in the autumn.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to ensure young people in rural areas receive the financial skills needed to support long-term prosperity.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Chippenham to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43513.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of long-term exposure to PFAS in drinking water on public health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
An evaluation of the evidence on polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) toxicity is ongoing through the Committee on Toxicity.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has contributed to an expert advisory group recommendation to the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) on the introduction of a regulatory limit of 0.1 micrograms per litre for the sum of 48 individual PFAS to protect public health. The Advisory Group Recommendations are available at the following link:
This is in line with the recent DWI March 2025 Guidance. This will limit exposures through drinking water, and thus any potential impact. The Guidance is available at the following link:
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to embed financial education and investment literacy in apprenticeship programmes.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Apprenticeships are jobs that equip learners with the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need for a specific occupation. Employers, working in conjunction with Skills England, develop the content of apprenticeship standards according to the needs of their industries. This will include job-specific mathematics or English skills wherever relevant.
In addition, the department funds apprentices to achieve up to level 2 qualifications in mathematics and English as part of their apprenticeship. The qualifications give apprentices the broader skills they need to thrive in work and life and the mathematics qualification includes content on calculating interest, discounts and percentage increases/decreases, probability and budgeting, as well as building confidence with numbers more generally. We require all 16 to 18-year-olds to achieve a level 1 or level 2 qualification as part of their apprenticeship, if they do not already hold one.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of full-time equivalent NHS dentists practising in Wiltshire in (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2013-14.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The latest year in which workforce data is available is 2023/24. There were 440 dentists who undertook some level of National Health Service activity in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (ICB).
Due to changes in how data is collected, the Department cannot make a direct comparison to the number of dentists in 2013/14.
However, in that year there were 238 dentists who undertook some level of NHS activity in the Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group area. Please note that this area covers a smaller geographic area than the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many frontline NHS staff have completed both parts of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism as of July 2025; and what steps are being taken to ensure full compliance across all trusts.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on completion of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism (Oliver’s Training) is held locally and is reported to NHS England by integrated care boards. This data does not differentiate between completion by frontline staff and other National Health Service and social care staff, and is instead focussed on overall completion of Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 1 of Oliver’s Training is for those that require general awareness for their role, and Tier 2 is for those who may provide direct care for people with a learning disability and autistic people. The first part of both tiers of training is a co-produced e-learning module which has had over three million completions across all audiences. The most recently validated data on completion of both parts held by NHS England is up to March 2025, when it was reported that 85,718 staff had completed Tier 1 training and 113,003 had completed Tier 2 training.
NHS England is supporting the roll out of the training on a Payment by Results basis, co-coordinated by integrated care boards, and continues to monitor training uptake.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, published on 23 June 2025, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that investment in advanced manufacturing is allocated to rural communities.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Deeper partnerships with mayors and devolved governments will deliver real change in local communities, ensuring Sector Plan gains across the UK.
As part of this, we will support specific city regions and clusters through a new £600 million Strategic Sites Accelerator, and by investing £160 million in each of the UK's regional Advanced Manufacturing investment zones. This targeted support will have positive spillover effects on surrounding rural and urban communities.
Government has also secured £4 billion from the British Business Bank and £27.8 billion from the National Wealth Fund to support business across the UK access the finance they need to grow.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many serious incidents involving maternity care were reported by NHS Trusts covering Wiltshire in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Across the last five years, there have been a total of 116 serious incidents involving maternity care reported by National Health Service trusts covering Wiltshire. The following table shows the number of incidents per year against the trusts in Wiltshire, from 2020/21 to 2024/25:
Year | Royal United Hospitals, Bath | Salisbury Foundation Trust | Great Western Hospital | Total |
2020/21 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 26 |
2021/22 | 16 | 5 | 12 | 33 |
2022/23 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 27 |
2023/24 | 7 | 6 | 16 | 29 |
2024/25 | 1 |
|
| 1 |
Total | 50 | 24 | 42 |
|