Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made towards the development of the Enrichment Framework; and if she will set out a timetable for its publication and implementation.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department will publish the new Enrichment Framework in early 2026. The framework has been developed following extensive research and collaboration with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and a working group of experts from schools, youth, sports and arts organisations.
We are also putting in place a range of support to help schools further, including PE and school sport partnerships, the national network of Music Hubs, £24million for the TechYouth programme and £22.5 million from DCMS over three years to create a tailored enrichment offer in up to 400 schools. A further £132.5 million of dormant assets funding is being targeted towards services, facilities and opportunities to meet the needs of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds. More specifically, the government is continuing to invest an additional £3.6 million per year to support and maintain cadet units in schools as part of the Cadet Expansion Programme.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing an enrichment premium for schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department will publish the new Enrichment Framework in early 2026. The framework has been developed following extensive research and collaboration with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and a working group of experts from schools, youth, sports and arts organisations.
We are also putting in place a range of support to help schools further, including PE and school sport partnerships, the national network of Music Hubs, £24million for the TechYouth programme and £22.5 million from DCMS over three years to create a tailored enrichment offer in up to 400 schools. A further £132.5 million of dormant assets funding is being targeted towards services, facilities and opportunities to meet the needs of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds. More specifically, the government is continuing to invest an additional £3.6 million per year to support and maintain cadet units in schools as part of the Cadet Expansion Programme.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff worked for the rural payments agency in each year between 2019 and 2026.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The number of full‑time equivalent (FTE) staff employed by the Rural Payments Agency is published in the public domain as part of Defra’s Monthly Workforce Management Information (MWMI) reports.
This information can be accessed via the following link: : Defra: workforce management information - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, what housing developments in the vicinity of Sutton Park have been discussed between DEFRA officials and Birmingham City Council.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I am not aware of discussions between Defra officials and Birmingham City Council.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department plans to take with (a) local authorities and (b) other Government Departments to help ensure that tenants in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency are aware of their rights under the Warm Homes Plan.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government is standing up for tenants through our new minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) in the private rented sector, and proposed standard for the social rented sector, which will lift around 650,000 households out of fuel poverty. We estimate that tenants could save an average of £210 on their annual energy bill.
Landlords should provide clear communication about changes being made, and government will provide guidance for landlords and tenants so that tenants know what to expect.
The government will also provide support to local government to enable successful Warm Homes delivery at the local level. This includes through the new Warm Homes Agency, which will offer households clear advice and a consistent, quality-assured service.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the sale of the qualifications arm of City & Guilds on qualification fees, provision, workforce employment and other aspects of the further education sector.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Following the sale of City and Guilds Ltd, we understand that organisation will continue to deliver qualifications within the further education sector and work constructively with providers as usual. As the regulator of qualifications, Ofqual has responsibility for ensuring that recognised awarding organisations meet their obligations on qualifications quality and public confidence. We understand that Ofqual also monitors qualifications prices and publishes this data annually.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has he made of the potential benefit of developing a secure community cloud as part of the Digital Targeting Web project.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is on course to deliver the first elements of the Digital Targeting Web (DTW) later this year which is part of the wider modernisation of targeting, intelligence, and command‑and‑control systems across Defence. Separately from DTW, Defence already has an existing multi‑year contract with Google for Secret‑level cloud hosting and data services. This contract provides secure cloud capability across Defence for at least five years.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he plans to take to publicise the Fuel Finder Website to motorists.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fuel Finder data will be made freely available and third party services such as navigation apps and price comparison websites who will integrate the data into their consumer-facing tools, meaning drivers can access accurate, up-to-date fuel prices without needing to visit the website directly.
The Government will publicise Fuel Finder through its usual communications channels to raise awareness of the new system.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has he made in facilitating the flow of analysed imagery from NCGI into the Digital Targeting Web.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is on course to deliver the first elements of the Digital Targeting Web (DTW) later this year which is part of the wider modernisation of targeting, intelligence, and command‑and‑control systems across Defence. Separately from DTW, Defence already has an existing multi‑year contract with Google for Secret‑level cloud hosting and data services. This contract provides secure cloud capability across Defence for at least five years.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK small and medium‑sized defence companies that will use the business centre in Kyiv in its first year of operation.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The business centre is specifically designed to help UK SMEs overcome practical barriers to operating in Ukraine, based on industry and industry bodies feedback. Estimates cannot be disclosed at this stage, as it could prejudice fair competition among potential delivery partners and operational delivery. The Ministry of Defence will work with the selected delivery partner and relevant stakeholders to ensure the scale meets the business need and is enduring.