Shaun Davies
Labour - Telford
8,102 (19.9%) majority - 2024 General ElectionFirst elected: 4th July 2024
Division Voting information
Shaun Davies voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 50 Labour No votes vs 59 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 138 Noes - 136
Debates during the 2024 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
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
(10 debate interactions)
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
(8 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(21 debate contributions)
(10 debate contributions)
(9 debate contributions)
(9 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(1,556 words contributed)
(1,044 words contributed)
(725 words contributed)
(649 words contributed)
Telford 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).
of 13,734 signatures (1.16%)
of 40,572 signatures (0.46%)
of 147,723 signatures (0.38%)
of 87,426 signatures (0.24%)
of 53,632 signatures (0.23%)
of 147,723 signatures (0.38%)
of 247,908 signatures (0.19%)
of 227,376 signatures (0.20%)
of 237,380 signatures (0.18%)
Latest EDMs signed by Shaun Davies
Commons initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Shaun Davies, 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.
Shaun Davies has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Shaun Davies has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Shaun Davies has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
3 Bills co-sponsored by Shaun Davies
Theft of Tools of Trade (Sentencing) Bill 2024-26
Sponsor - Amanda Martin (Lab)
Freight Crime Bill 2024-26
Sponsor - Rachel Taylor (Lab)
Off-road Bikes (Police Powers) Bill 2024-26
Sponsor - Luke Akehurst (Lab)
Latest 50 Written Questions
(View all written questions)Our records show that between 2021 and October 2024, Attorney General’s Office and Crown Prosecution Service employees have taken paternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
The average working days taken (AWDT) is shown in the table below.
Year | Attorney General’s Office – AWDT | Crown Prosecution Service – AWDT |
2021 | 10 | 10 |
2022 | 0 | 10 |
2023 | 10 | 10 |
2024 (Jan to Oct) | 10 | 10 |
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Management information is held showing the number of cases with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which are awaiting a pre-charge decision.
The overall number of cases which were awaiting a charging decision or administrative triage (completed on files sent by the police to the CPS for a charging decision) as of 25 March 2024 was 13,697. This data is provided in line with the last quarterly data release in March 2024. The next quarterly release is due on 17 October 2024 which will be available on the CPS website at CPS quarterly data summaries | The Crown Prosecution Service.
These figures do not include cases that have been referred to the CPS but that are currently with the police to action, having been sent back to them with a request for further information.
This count is of the number of cases, not suspects. A single case may cover one suspect or several. No data is available in the report showing whether the alleged offences are summary, either-way or indictable only. To obtain this information would require a manual review at disproportionate cost.
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Management information is held showing the number of cases with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which are awaiting a pre-charge decision.
The table below shows the overall number of cases which were awaiting a charging decision or administrative triage (completed on files sent by the police to the CPS for a charging decision) as of 25 March 2024. This data is provided in line with the last quarterly data release in March 2024.
25/03/2024 | |
Cymru Wales | 1,354 |
East Midlands | 1,107 |
East Of England | 868 |
London North | 803 |
London South | 833 |
Merseyside and Cheshire | 733 |
North East | 852 |
North West | 1,088 |
South East | 912 |
South West | 1,167 |
Thames & Chiltern | 759 |
Wessex | 631 |
West Midlands | 1,571 |
Yorkshire & Humberside | 1,019 |
Total | 13,697 |
Data Source: CPS Pre-Charge Decision Workload Report | |
These figures do not include cases that have been referred to the CPS but that are currently with the police to action, having been sent back to them with a request for further information.
This count is of the number of cases, not suspects. A single case may cover one suspect or several.
No data is available in the report showing whether the alleged offences are summary, either-way or indictable only. To obtain this information would require a manual review at disproportionate cost.
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Our records show that between 2021 and October 2024, 258 Cabinet Office employees have taken paternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
The average working days taken (AWDT) is shown in the table below.
Year | AWDT |
2021 | 5 |
2022 | 6 |
2023 | 5.7 |
2024 (Jan to Oct) | 6 |
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Information provided by employers to HMRC shows that the total value of payments made to individuals in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Shared Parental Pay and Statutory Maternity Pay between 2019/20 and 2023/24 (the latest year for which full year data is available).
The table below presents a breakdown of the value of payments made to individuals by the region (based on recipient residence).
Table 1. Total value of Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP), Statutory Shared Parental Pay (SShPP) and Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) payments by claimant resident region, 2019/20 to 2023/24
Statutory Parental Payment | Government Office Region | 2019/20 (£ millions) | 2020/21 (£ millions) | 2021/22 (£ millions) | 2022/23 (£ millions) | 2023/24 (£ millions) |
Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) | East Midlands | £4.3 | £3.7 | £4.3 | £4.1 | £4.8 |
East of England | £5.2 | £4.5 | £5.3 | £5.3 | £6.1 | |
London | £8.1 | £7.4 | £8.5 | £8.0 | £9.6 | |
North East | £2.0 | £1.7 | £2.0 | £2.1 | £2.4 | |
North West | £6.5 | £5.5 | £6.4 | £6.4 | £7.3 | |
Northern Ireland | £2.0 | £1.6 | £1.9 | £1.9 | £2.2 | |
Scotland | £4.4 | £3.7 | £4.5 | £4.2 | £5.0 | |
South East | £7.3 | £6.5 | £7.7 | £7.5 | £8.7 | |
South West | £4.7 | £4.0 | £4.8 | £4.7 | £5.3 | |
Wales | £2.6 | £2.2 | £2.5 | £2.5 | £2.9 | |
West Midlands | £5.3 | £4.4 | £5.1 | £5.1 | £5.9 | |
Yorkshire and The Humber | £4.9 | £4.1 | £4.8 | £4.7 | £5.4 | |
Other / Unknown | £0.6 | £0.8 | £1.6 | £2.2 | £3.5 | |
Total | £57.9 | £50.2 | £59.3 | £58.9 | £69.0 | |
Statutory Shared Parental Pay (SShPP) | East Midlands | £1.1 | £1.2 | £1.4 | £1.4 | £2.0 |
East of England | £2.3 | £1.7 | £2.0 | £2.2 | £3.0 | |
London | £6.9 | £4.9 | £5.4 | £5.4 | £6.2 | |
North East | £0.5 | £0.5 | £0.6 | £0.6 | £1.1 | |
North West | £1.7 | £1.5 | £1.9 | £2.1 | £3.1 | |
Northern Ireland | £0.3 | £0.3 | £0.3 | £0.3 | £0.7 | |
Scotland | £1.2 | £1.1 | £1.3 | £1.3 | £1.5 | |
South East | £3.3 | £2.9 | £3.7 | £4.0 | £5.6 | |
South West | £1.8 | £2.1 | £2.4 | £3.0 | £3.8 | |
Wales | £0.7 | £0.6 | £0.8 | £0.9 | £1.2 | |
West Midlands | £1.2 | £1.1 | £1.4 | £1.6 | £2.0 | |
Yorkshire and The Humber | £1.4 | £1.4 | £1.4 | £1.8 | £2.5 | |
Other / Unknown | £0.3 | £0.4 | £0.6 | £1.0 | £1.8 | |
Total | £22.6 | £19.5 | £23.2 | £25.6 | £34.4 | |
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) | East Midlands | £185.9 | £181.2 | £189.5 | £188.8 | £203.0 |
East of England | £275.5 | £269.8 | £285.9 | £286.6 | £307.8 | |
London | £530.1 | £523.5 | £554.2 | £544.8 | £590.6 | |
North East | £92.9 | £89.7 | £93.3 | £93.1 | £102.1 | |
North West | £295.3 | £286.6 | £303.4 | £304.4 | £326.2 | |
Northern Ireland | £91.5 | £90.8 | £94.2 | £91.7 | £98.9 | |
Scotland | £207.8 | £200.8 | £213.1 | £209.5 | £225.0 | |
South East | £406.2 | £398.4 | £421.9 | £420.8 | £454.3 | |
South West | £216.3 | £212.2 | £223.4 | £217.3 | £233.7 | |
Wales | £114.1 | £110.2 | £115.2 | £116.4 | £127.1 | |
West Midlands | £224.4 | £221.0 | £230.3 | £230.6 | £249.1 | |
Yorkshire and The Humber | £207.9 | £202.7 | £212.7 | £211.7 | £226.4 | |
Other / Unknown | £36.5 | £56.2 | £91.6 | £136.4 | £194.1 | |
Total | £2,884.4 | £2,843.1 | £3,028.7 | £3,052.0 | £3,338.3 |
Source: HM Revenue and Customers (HMRC) HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) system 2019/20 to 2023/24
Notes:
1. All figures are based on HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) system and were extracted in Jan 2025. RTI is subject to revision and there may be small fluctuations in figures reported - these figures should not be considered “final”.
2. Figures for the total value of parental payments (£m) are rounded to the nearest hundred thousand.
3. Government Office Regions (GOR) are determined by matching the most recent postcode from the previous tax year with the Office for National Statistics’ postcode lookup table. If a partial postcode is provided an assumption is made based on the postcode district or area. The GOR with the most postcodes of a given district is returned. If no postcode is listed then region is marked as unknown. Other includes Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not routinely collect data on the length of Paternity Leave, Shared Parental Leave and Maternity Leave taken by parents. However, the Government commissioned the Parental Rights Survey which provides the best source of data on the length of parental leave taken, the findings are published here - https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/resource/parental-rights-survey-2019 .
In addition, DBT also published HMRC data tables to accompany the Shared Parental Leave evaluation report here which include information on the number of individuals in receipt of SPP, SShPP and SMP by the number of months the payments spanned, this is available here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-parental-leave-spl-evaluation. HMRC or DBT does not hold information which calculates the duration of parental payments by individual claimants.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Information provided by employers to HMRC shows that the total value of payments made to individuals in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Shared Parental Pay and Statutory Maternity Pay between 2019/20 and 2023/24 (the latest year for which full year data is available).
The table below presents a breakdown of the value of payments made to individuals by the region (based on recipient residence).
Table 1. Total value of Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP), Statutory Shared Parental Pay (SShPP) and Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) payments by claimant resident region, 2019/20 to 2023/24
Statutory Parental Payment | Government Office Region | 2019/20 (£ millions) | 2020/21 (£ millions) | 2021/22 (£ millions) | 2022/23 (£ millions) | 2023/24 (£ millions) |
Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) | East Midlands | £4.3 | £3.7 | £4.3 | £4.1 | £4.8 |
East of England | £5.2 | £4.5 | £5.3 | £5.3 | £6.1 | |
London | £8.1 | £7.4 | £8.5 | £8.0 | £9.6 | |
North East | £2.0 | £1.7 | £2.0 | £2.1 | £2.4 | |
North West | £6.5 | £5.5 | £6.4 | £6.4 | £7.3 | |
Northern Ireland | £2.0 | £1.6 | £1.9 | £1.9 | £2.2 | |
Scotland | £4.4 | £3.7 | £4.5 | £4.2 | £5.0 | |
South East | £7.3 | £6.5 | £7.7 | £7.5 | £8.7 | |
South West | £4.7 | £4.0 | £4.8 | £4.7 | £5.3 | |
Wales | £2.6 | £2.2 | £2.5 | £2.5 | £2.9 | |
West Midlands | £5.3 | £4.4 | £5.1 | £5.1 | £5.9 | |
Yorkshire and The Humber | £4.9 | £4.1 | £4.8 | £4.7 | £5.4 | |
Other / Unknown | £0.6 | £0.8 | £1.6 | £2.2 | £3.5 | |
Total | £57.9 | £50.2 | £59.3 | £58.9 | £69.0 | |
Statutory Shared Parental Pay (SShPP) | East Midlands | £1.1 | £1.2 | £1.4 | £1.4 | £2.0 |
East of England | £2.3 | £1.7 | £2.0 | £2.2 | £3.0 | |
London | £6.9 | £4.9 | £5.4 | £5.4 | £6.2 | |
North East | £0.5 | £0.5 | £0.6 | £0.6 | £1.1 | |
North West | £1.7 | £1.5 | £1.9 | £2.1 | £3.1 | |
Northern Ireland | £0.3 | £0.3 | £0.3 | £0.3 | £0.7 | |
Scotland | £1.2 | £1.1 | £1.3 | £1.3 | £1.5 | |
South East | £3.3 | £2.9 | £3.7 | £4.0 | £5.6 | |
South West | £1.8 | £2.1 | £2.4 | £3.0 | £3.8 | |
Wales | £0.7 | £0.6 | £0.8 | £0.9 | £1.2 | |
West Midlands | £1.2 | £1.1 | £1.4 | £1.6 | £2.0 | |
Yorkshire and The Humber | £1.4 | £1.4 | £1.4 | £1.8 | £2.5 | |
Other / Unknown | £0.3 | £0.4 | £0.6 | £1.0 | £1.8 | |
Total | £22.6 | £19.5 | £23.2 | £25.6 | £34.4 | |
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) | East Midlands | £185.9 | £181.2 | £189.5 | £188.8 | £203.0 |
East of England | £275.5 | £269.8 | £285.9 | £286.6 | £307.8 | |
London | £530.1 | £523.5 | £554.2 | £544.8 | £590.6 | |
North East | £92.9 | £89.7 | £93.3 | £93.1 | £102.1 | |
North West | £295.3 | £286.6 | £303.4 | £304.4 | £326.2 | |
Northern Ireland | £91.5 | £90.8 | £94.2 | £91.7 | £98.9 | |
Scotland | £207.8 | £200.8 | £213.1 | £209.5 | £225.0 | |
South East | £406.2 | £398.4 | £421.9 | £420.8 | £454.3 | |
South West | £216.3 | £212.2 | £223.4 | £217.3 | £233.7 | |
Wales | £114.1 | £110.2 | £115.2 | £116.4 | £127.1 | |
West Midlands | £224.4 | £221.0 | £230.3 | £230.6 | £249.1 | |
Yorkshire and The Humber | £207.9 | £202.7 | £212.7 | £211.7 | £226.4 | |
Other / Unknown | £36.5 | £56.2 | £91.6 | £136.4 | £194.1 | |
Total | £2,884.4 | £2,843.1 | £3,028.7 | £3,052.0 | £3,338.3 |
Source: HM Revenue and Customers (HMRC) HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) system 2019/20 to 2023/24
Notes:
1. All figures are based on HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) system and were extracted in Jan 2025. RTI is subject to revision and there may be small fluctuations in figures reported - these figures should not be considered “final”.
2. Figures for the total value of parental payments (£m) are rounded to the nearest hundred thousand.
3. Government Office Regions (GOR) are determined by matching the most recent postcode from the previous tax year with the Office for National Statistics’ postcode lookup table. If a partial postcode is provided an assumption is made based on the postcode district or area. The GOR with the most postcodes of a given district is returned. If no postcode is listed then region is marked as unknown. Other includes Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not routinely collect data on the length of Paternity Leave, Shared Parental Leave and Maternity Leave taken by parents. However, the Government commissioned the Parental Rights Survey which provides the best source of data on the length of parental leave taken, the findings are published here - https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/resource/parental-rights-survey-2019 .
In addition, DBT also published HMRC data tables to accompany the Shared Parental Leave evaluation report here which include information on the number of individuals in receipt of SPP, SShPP and SMP by the number of months the payments spanned, this is available here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-parental-leave-spl-evaluation. HMRC or DBT does not hold information which calculates the duration of parental payments by individual claimants.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The table below shows the average length of paternity leave taken by staff. This includes paternity leave after birth.
Time period | Average length of paternity leave (working days) |
01.08.2023. - 31.07.2024. | 10 |
01.08.2022. - 31.07.2023. | 10 |
01.08.2021. - 31.07.2022. | 10 |
The Department for Business and Trade is a newly formed Department established in February 2023. The new department absorbed the functions of the former Department for International Trade (DIT) and some of the functions of the former Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The figures prior to 01.08.2023 include all former DIT staff and former BEIS staff who transferred to DBT.
The below figures cover the same period for staff at the Competition and Markets Authority.
Year | Average length (mean) of paternity leave (working days) |
2021-22 | 9.8 |
2022-23 | 9.4 |
2023-24 | 8.9 |
2024-25 (to date) | 8.9 |
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s Warm Homes Plan will support investment in insulation, low carbon heating and other home improvements to cut bills. We will set out full details in due course.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s retrofitting tool ‘find ways to save energy in your home’ (https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency), provides tailored guidance to help consumers make their homes greener and cheaper to run.
All businesses installing measures under Government schemes and initiatives must be certified to Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2030 and follow PAS 2035 standards. In the next review of the standards, the British Standards Institute (BSI), who publish PAS 2030 and 2035, will consider how to address more innovative products that do not fit within existing annexes, subject to steering group consensus.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to protecting homeowners across the UK who have clean heating and energy efficiency products installed. The Government’s Warm Homes Plan will support investment in insulation, low carbon heating and other home improvements to cut bills. We will set out full details in due course.
As the first step towards the Warm Homes Plan, the Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, with £1 billion of this allocated to next year.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There are several Government schemes offering loft insulation as a measure to improve energy efficiency. The Government’s retrofitting tool ‘find ways to save energy in your home’ (https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency), provides tailored guidance to help consumers make their homes greener and cheaper to run.
All businesses under Government schemes and initiatives must be TrustMark registered. These businesses must be certified to Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2030 and follow PAS 2035 standards. TrustMark's role under Government schemes is to ensure compliance with the overarching PAS 2035 process, setting clear requirements to protect consumer.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The average length of paternity leave in days taken by staff in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) was 9.6 during 2023 and 9.8 during 2024.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) was established in February 2023. Data before this time is unavailable.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has no plans to introduce an energy social tariff this winter. However, we are committed to ensuring vulnerable households are supported with their energy bills and we are looking at all options on how to support these households.
The Government is continuing to deliver the Warm Home Discount which provides a £150 rebate off energy bills to over 3 million eligible low-income households. We are also working with energy suppliers to ensure they are providing additional support to vulnerable customers.
The Government has also extended the Household Support Fund for an additional 6 months until 31 March 2025 with an extra £500 million in funding, and I encourage any individual who is struggling to pay their bills contacts their local authority to see if they are eligible for this support.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
2 Department for Science, Innovation & Technology Questions
(View all Shaun Davies's DSIT questions)The Government wants all areas of the UK, including Telford constituency, to benefit from good quality mobile coverage. Our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030.
5G is already available in the Telford constituency. I have raised my concerns about the reporting of mobile connectivity with Ofcom, but according to Ofcom’s Connected Nations report (published on 5 December 2024) 5G is available from at least one operator outside 99% of all premises in the Telford constituency.
In the Telford constituency, over 99% of premises can access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and over 87% have access to gigabit-capable broadband coverage (>1000 Mbps). There is high existing gigabit coverage and commercial plans in the area. Therefore, this constituency is not expected to see significant benefits from Project Gigabit.
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Our records show that between 2021 and October 2024, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) employee’s have taken 160 days paternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
The average working days taken per colleague (AWDT) is shown in the table below.
Year | AWDT |
2021 | - |
2022 | - |
2023 (Feb 2023* to Dec 2023) | 10 |
2024 (Jan 2024 to Oct 2024) | 12.9 |
*The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) was established in February 2023. Data before this time is unavailable.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS recognises that the business events sector is a machine for economic growth and local prosperity. The business events sector is estimated to be worth £34 billion to the UK Economy and an additional £200 billion in trade established at Business Events.
The Business Events Growth Programme (BEGP), led by VisitBritain, forms part of the UK Government’s commitment to grow the business events sector across Britain. Every pound invested in the programme supported £33 of revenue being generated for the British economy through new events secured, or in additional delegate spend, during the five-year review period from 2018 to 2023.
Within DCMS, we have one civil servant who works full time on supporting the business events sector, plus a percentage of time from senior colleagues who provide oversight.
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Heritage plays an important part in the UK economy. In 2023, seven out of ten of the most popular paid visitor attractions in England were heritage attractions, according to evidence from the Annual Visitor Attraction Survey.
According to research undertaken by the UK National Commission for UNESCO in 2020, a UNESCO designation, such as a World Heritage Site designation, leads to increased tourism, brings economic benefits for local communities, and delivers a greater international profile.
DCMS works with World Heritage Site coordinators and heritage agencies across the UK to continue to build the value of these designations and to support economic growth.
Our ambition is to have 50 million international visitors to the UK a year by 2030.
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Independent Football Regulator will create a clearer and more certain regulatory environment for investors which will drive future investment and growth so that English football remains a global success story. A more sustainable game is a more investable game, and this in turn should drive continued economic growth in the market.
The government’s estimate of the economic impact of introducing a football regulator is set out in our Impact Assessment.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The average length of paternity leave taken by DCMS staff was as follows:
2021: 10.8 days
2022: 9.7 days
2023: 10.3 days
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is a National Portfolio Organisation funded by Arts Council England, and receives £749,709 annually.
In 2022 Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT) also received £9.975m from Cultural Assets Fund as part of DCMS Culture Recovery Fund.
In addition, since 1994, National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded more than £12.7 million within the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site area and has awarded the IGMT more than £20.9 million.
Historic England, the Government’ statutory advisor on heritage and a DCMS arm's length body, provides support and advice on specific issues related to the management of the wider Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The department collects information on the overall size of the workforce through its regular Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers, which can be accessed at the following address: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024. The latest data from this survey was published in December 2024 and showed the total number of paid childcare staff was 368,100 in 2024. Of these, 277,900 are group-based provider staff and 59,800 are school-based provider staff.
The survey shows that the vast majority of paid childcare staff are female, making up 98% of paid group-based provider staff, and 97% of paid school-based provider staff.
Additionally, Table 4 - 2 in the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024, shows the total number of paid staff by region, but does not break down by gender and region.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Ofsted publish official statistics twice a year and management information twice a year on providers and inspections. Data for childminders on Ofsted registers can be broken down to a regional level.
The latest data show that as at 31 December 2024 there were 25,556 Ofsted-registered childminders across all Ofsted registers, together with 1,520 childminders on the role of childminder agencies. This information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/childcare-providers-and-inspections-management-information.
The department collects information on the gender of Ofsted-registered childminders through its annual survey of childcare and early years providers. The latest data shows that 97% of childminders were female in 2024. This data is not held at a regional level. This information can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Data on state-funded school places is published at national, local authority and school level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication. Data is available for academic years 2009/10 to 2023/24. Data on special educational needs provision was collected as part of the School Capacity Survey for the first time in 2023 and is available for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.
School capacity data are not published at constituency level. However, data is published at school level that can be combined with information from ‘Get Information About Schools’ (GIAS) to identify parliamentary constituency. The data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/data-set/bf165de6-3b9a-4014-83b5-232454343797.
The number of primary and secondary mainstream state-funded school places in Telford and Wrekin local authority at 1 May of each year between 2014 and 2024, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a6913939-ccb4-4dbe-7d54-08dd7ece5be0.
The number of state-funded special schools and special school places in Telford and Wrekin local authority at 1 May of each year between 2023 and 2024, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/4cc1f815-cec7-41af-d97b-08dd800922cb.
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.
Minister of State (Education)
Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers and teaching assistants broken down by school phase, gender and region, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
As of November 2023, the latest date for which data is available, there was a headcount of 478,085 teachers and 335,693 teaching assistants employed in state-funded nursery, primary and secondary schools. A breakdown by school phase, gender and region is available for teachers at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/689fc171-b2a5-40de-d968-08dd800922cb, and for teaching assistants at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/658213e6-bcab-45db-7d3c-08dd7ece5be0.
Minister of State (Education)
A response to Question 36463 was published on 11 April 2025 and can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-03-07/36463.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer my hon. friend, the Member for Telford to the answer of 24 January 2025 to Question 24528.
Minister of State (Education)
Many schools across the country will either allow others to make use of their facilities, or themselves be making use of land shared with their local communities. The department encourages schools to open their sites in this way. Shared use agreements or other arrangements to facilitate this are primarily a matter for local discussion between schools, their landowners and local authorities, who will all appreciate the individual local needs.
However, in specific circumstances, such as when a school converts to become an academy and the department is involved in agreeing how the academy will access land, the department can and will help schools and councils consider their options. Our good estate management for schools (GEMS) guidance also contains information for schools on allowing others to use their premises. More information about GEMS can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The average length of paternity leave taken by employees of the Department for Education for each of the last three years is set out in the table below.
Year | Average Number of Calendar Days |
2022 | 18.7 |
2023 | 19.9 |
2024 (to date) | 19.9 |
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department collects and publishes forecasts made by local authorities of demand for primary and secondary pupil places from the annual School Capacity (SCAP) survey, which are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity. Forecast data is generated by local authorities based on their own data and local knowledge. These forecasts are challenged extensively during data cleaning processes. As with any forecast figures, there will be variation between the forecasts and the subsequent actual pupil numbers, and the level of accuracy is expected to reduce as forecasts are made further into the future.
This information is published at local authority level, with the latest publication covering the period 2022/23 to 2027/28, available for Telford and Wrekin here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/3d7c2bc7-052b-43f5-e0cc-08dccd7b577b. Previous years can be found in earlier publications, all available on Explore Education Statistics. Data on special educational needs provision was collected for the first time in SCAP in 2023 and published as official statistics in development in 2024 within the aforementioned publication.
The department also publishes pupil population projections at national level and by school type annually, which are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/national-pupil-projections. The latest publication includes historic pupil populations, plus projected population to 2028. These projections are not available at local authority level.
Minister of State (Education)
8 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
(View all Shaun Davies's Defra questions)In just five months in Government, we have introduced a series of measures to better protect communities from flooding including:
- Invest £2.4 billion over the next two years to maintain, repair and build flood defences to protect communities across the country.
- Set up a new Floods Resilience Taskforce bringing together representatives from central and local government, Local Resilience Forums, emergency responders and the National Farmers Union, among others, to discuss how they will speed up and co-ordinate flooding preparation and resilience.
- Consultation to review the existing funding formula, ensuring the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are adequately considered.
- Invested £50 million to Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) to better enable them to manage water levels for agriculture and environmental needs.
- Supporting farmers impacted by flooding through a £60 million Farming Recovery Fund, which provides grants of up to £25,000 to return their land to the condition it was in before storm damage.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is investing £2.4 billion over this year and next year to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The list of projects to receive government funding will be consented over the coming months in the usual way through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees, with local representation.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency is working with partners in the River Severn Partnership (RSP) including local authorities, water companies, Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Natural England and environmental organisations on a long-term, whole-catchment scale view of planning for the future in response to climate change: Severn 2100+.
Under Severn2100+ work, the partnership is developing a Climate Resilience Strategy including an options appraisal of the flood risk adaptation actions needed in the River Severn catchment.
The work includes an ‘Adaptation Pathways Plan’ to help the Environment Agency understand how to sequence those actions, who can help and when.
As a pathfinder, the Environment Agency is working with partners on the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme to examine how a suite of flood risk interventions in the upper catchment of the River Severn can reduce flood risk.
These long-term plans will help the RSP play a key role in bringing forward initiatives to reduce flood risk and improve the water environment whilst supporting economic growth in the area.
A demonstrator programme is underway delivering a series of 8 projects to test concepts and ideas that will support the future roll-out of the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme.
The partnership will be engaging with honourable members in the partnership area to update them soon.
The Defra sponsored capital programme endorsed by the English Severn and Wye RFCC continues to reduce flood risk to properties throughout the Severn Catchment in England.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency is working with partners in the River Severn Partnership (RSP) including local authorities, water companies, Natural Resources Wales, Natural England and environmental organisations on a long-term, whole-catchment scale view of planning for the future in response to climate change: Severn 2100+.
Under Severn2100+ work, the RSP is developing a Climate Resilience Strategy including an options appraisal of the flood risk adaptation actions needed in the River Severn catchment.
The work includes an ‘Adaptation Pathways Plan’ to help the Environment Agency understand how to sequence those actions, who can help and when.
The Environment Agency is working with partners on the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme to examine how a suite of flood risk interventions in the upper catchment of the River Severn can reduce flood risk. A demonstrator programme is underway delivering a series of 8 projects to test concepts and ideas that will support the future roll-out of the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The impacts of coastal erosion and flooding on heritage assets are included in the economic impacts assessment for flood and coastal erosion schemes. Last year, the Environment Agency published the Environment and Historic Environment Outcomes Valuation Guidance which contains specific arrangements for the valuation of heritage assets such as religious buildings.
Flood schemes protecting world heritage sites attract funding through the Government’s Partnership Funding Policy. The amount of funding a project can attract will depend on the damages it will avoid and the benefits it will deliver, including those to heritage assets.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Protecting communities around the country from flooding and coastal erosion is one of the new Secretary of State’s five core priorities.
This Government will improve resilience and preparation across central Government, local authorities, local communities and emergency services to better protect communities across the UK. We will launch a new Flood Resilience Taskforce to turbocharge the delivery of new flood defences, drainage systems and natural flood management schemes, which will ensure we’re prepared for the future and help grow our economy.
Over the past 10 years, the Environment Agency (EA) has deployed the temporary flood barriers within Ironbridge Gorge 19 times, reducing flood risk to 23 homes along the Wharfage. The EA is supporting Telford & Wrekin Council in developing a scheme to reduce flood risk to those properties currently undefended in the Ironbridge Gorge. The council has secured investment of £1.14m and the project is planned to reduce flood risk to a further 32 properties.
The EA is also exploring options to reduce flood risk in neighbouring Coalbrookdale investing £70k to update its flood model.
As well as investing in flood risk management projects, the EA also provides a free Flood Warning Service in the Telford constituency.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. DfT allocates capital funding to local highway authorities so they can most effectively spend it on maintaining and improving their respective networks, based upon their local knowledge, circumstances, and priorities.
Local highway authorities should consider all parts of the highway network as part of their highway asset management plans, such as bridges, cycleways, and lighting columns – not just the fixing of potholes. Funding allocations for local highway maintenance are published on gov.uk.
Telford and Wrekin Council, as a highway authority, has been allocated the following highway maintenance funding:
Year | Highways Maintenance funding for Telford and Wrekin Council |
2020/21 | £5,747,000 |
2021/22 | £4,311,000 |
2022/23 | £4,311,000 |
2023/24 | £5,625,400 |
2024/25 | £4,859,000 |
2025/26 | £7,164,000 |
To receive the full funding allocation in 2025/26, Telford and Wrekin will have to comply with the requirements announced by the Secretary of State in March 2025.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Responsibility for light rail is devolved in England, where each local authority owns and is responsible for the operations and financial sustainability of its system.
The economic contribution of each scheme can vary significantly based on numerous factors, including specific project conditions and requirements, geography, urban density, and land values.
The Department will continue to work alongside local authorities to assess the economic contribution of light rail schemes.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Responsibility for light rail is devolved in England, where each local authority owns and is responsible for the operations and financial sustainability of its system.
Future local transport funding is subject to the outcome of the upcoming Spending Review.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government believes that local transport authorities are best placed to advocate for projects which will most benefit their local areas. The ultimate aim is to encourage strong business cases, which effectively identify the optimal transport solution, which support growth, more homes and increased job opportunities.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government believes that local transport authorities are best placed to advocate for projects which will most benefit their local areas. The ultimate aim is to encourage strong business cases, which effectively identify the optimal transport solution, which support growth, more homes and increased job opportunities.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Access to the rail network is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in its capacity as independent regulator for the rail industry. The Department works closely with both ORR and Network Rail to ensure that information to inform access decisions is provided in as timely a manner as possible, however it is important that decisions are fully considered and potential impacts to taxpayers, the efficient operation of the network, and to other operators are properly assessed.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Access to the rail network is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in its capacity as independent regulator for the rail industry.
ORR have advised that since 2020, it has determined four applications for wholly new open access services. ORR rejected one and approved three. The time taken to go through the industry processes and reach a decision on these applications was as follows:
- Grand Union Trains (London – Stirling): 126 days
- Grand Union Trains Application 1 (London – Carmarthen): 281 days
- Grand Union Trains Application 2 (London – Carmarthen): 163 days
- Go-op: 783 days
The Go-op process involved significant changes to the application from the applicant over the course of two years. For all of these applications, ORR took decisions within 6 weeks of receiving all relevant information from the parties.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Funding for the M54 to M6 Link Road is subject to the multi-year Spending Review, and assurances cannot be provided on individual projects until the conclusion of the Spending Review.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Working with the industry, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has developed a comprehensive strategy to improve safety at the platform train interface (PTI) on the mainline railway. The strategy adopts a whole-system, safety by design, risk-based approach; which includes using human factors and data modelling to inform the design of infrastructure and rolling stock, launching safety campaigns such as ‘Respect the Edge’ to influence passenger behaviour and improve awareness of risks, and enhancing the skills and competence of dispatchers and guards by working with operators and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to improve the quality of training and guidance available to staff. This approach has seen PTI incidences decreasing year on year since 2020/2021.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)