Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available to schools who wish to decarbonise their buildings but who currently do not have the means to do so.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department recognises that decarbonising the school estate is an important part of meeting the government’s net zero commitments.
The Great British Energy Solar Partnership (GBESP) programme is supporting 250 schools and colleges to decarbonise by investing £100 million on solar panels and other energy efficiency and net zero interventions including LED lighting and electric vehicle chargers.
We are providing support for all schools and colleges to start on their journey towards net zero through our Sustainability Support Programme, which includes an online platform of guidance, tools and resources to help schools plan and deliver climate action available here: https://www.sustainabilitysupportforeducation.org.uk/.
The publicly available Department for Energy Security and Net Zero commissioned schools decarbonisation guidance, along with tools and checklists developed by Energy Systems Catapult can be found here: https://es.catapult.org.uk/tools-and-labs/public-sector-decarbonisation-guidance/developing-your-strategy/schools-resource-hub/. We will be issuing guidance to school settings in spring 2026 to help schools plan future retrofit and adaptation strategies to support decarbonisation and good education outcomes using their estates effectively.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 safeguarding bruising protocol on people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Nothing is more important than keeping children safe.
Our Families First Partnership Programme guidance, published in March 2025, is clear that practice should be inclusive, anti-discriminatory and responsive to the needs and experiences of children and families of different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. We would encourage local safeguarding partnerships to align any local protocols, including in relation to bruising, with this guidance, the latest available evidence and with national child safeguarding guidance, and consider the impact of local protocols on children and families from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will introduce new measures including improved information sharing and the introduction of multi-agency child protection teams to prevent children falling through the cracks.
We are also investing in the recruitment, training and development of child and family social worders to ensure the workforce has the capacity, skills and knowledge to identify, support and protect vulnerable children who may be at risk of maltreatment.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Neath and Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact the Welsh Government’s proposed UK Internal Market Act exemption to run its own Deposit Return Scheme would have on (a) existing and (b) future UK trade deals.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have not made such specific assessments, however we are keen to progress a UK Deposit Return Scheme and are currently evaluating the Welsh Government's proposal for an exclusion from the UK Internal Market Act as set out in the UK Internal Market Act Review published in July 2025.
As part of that process we have been engaging with stakeholders to gather evidence and feedback on the impact of the Welsh Government proposal on the UK internal market.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Neath and Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of granting the Welsh Government’s proposed UK Internal Market Act exemption on the Deposit Return Scheme on (a) businesses and (b) consumers.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have not made such specific assessments, however we are keen to progress a UK Deposit Return Scheme and are currently evaluating the Welsh Government's proposal for an exclusion from the UK Internal Market Act as set out in the UK Internal Market Act Review published in July 2025.
As part of that process we have been engaging with stakeholders to gather evidence and feedback on the impact of the Welsh Government proposal on the UK internal market.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, If he will deposit case papers in the case R. v. Nathan Gill in the Library of the House of Commons.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Law Officers will not deposit case papers in this matter.
This was a CPS prosecution and the Attorney General’s involvement was only to provide consent for one of the offences charged. This offence has been left to lie on file, following pleas from Nathan Gill to substantive offences of bribery.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposals in the consultation paper entitled A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: statement and accompanying consultation on earned settlement, published on 28 November 2025, on (a) the number of Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa holders eligible for indefinite leave to remain and (b) the time taken to qualify for settlement; and whether she plans to publish an impact assessment on the proposed English language level B2 requirement and a contribution to the Exchequer criteria.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.
BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.
We are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation. An impact assessment will be developed alongside the finalised policy and published in due course.
In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that newly recognised refugees who are survivors of trafficking, domestic abuse or torture are not left destitute or homeless when asylum support ends.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office is committed to supporting individuals granted leave to remain to successfully transition from asylum accommodation to mitigate the risk of homelessness.
The government is aware of the need for a smooth transition between asylum accommodation and other accommodation for those asylum seekers who are granted leave to remain. The Home Office is working to identify and implement efficiencies to support this process and mitigate the risk of homelessness.
Additionally, the Home Office has also placed Asylum Move On Liaison Officers (AMLOs) in over 50 Local Authorities across the UK, working alongside the Migrant Help and NGOs to support individuals who will be leaving asylum accommodation, and ensure a successful transition.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Armed forces to launch 'Gap Year' scheme for young people to bolster skills and leadership, published on 27 December 2025, whether his Department has an annual target for the number of participants that will remain in the armed forces following the conclusion of that scheme.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Armed Forces Foundation Year Scheme (‘Gap Year’) will offer new opportunities to experience military service through a new scheme set to launch in early 2026. The lessons of the first cohort (Tranche 1) will inform future practices for the Scheme. The first participants will be apportioned at 20 each for Royal Navy and Royal Air Force respectively with the Army offering the remainder (110). The ambition remains that the scheme will expand to over 1,000 participants subject to interest. We will be setting out further details in due course.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Armed forces to launch 'Gap Year' scheme for young people to bolster skills and leadership, published on 27 December 2025, what steps his Department is taking to encourage participation in that scheme.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Armed Forces Foundation Year Scheme (‘Gap Year’) will offer new opportunities to experience military service through a new scheme set to launch in early 2026. The lessons of the first cohort (Tranche 1) will inform future practices for the Scheme. The first participants will be apportioned at 20 each for Royal Navy and Royal Air Force respectively with the Army offering the remainder (110). The ambition remains that the scheme will expand to over 1,000 participants subject to interest. We will be setting out further details in due course.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Immigration White Paper S.176, what future steps she plans to take to ensure that workers can more efficiently change sponsors.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As per the Immigration White Paper, we are continuing to explore a range of policy options and their feasibility. Further details will follow in due course as necessary and appropriate.