Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has modelled the potential impact of recent changes in employment costs on trends in the level of apprenticeship recruitment by small and medium-sized enterprises.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government has committed a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking total additional investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
We are transforming the Apprenticeships Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy in England, backed by £1 billion of additional investment, which will support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, give employers greater flexibility to develop the workforce they need, and support the industrial strategy.
We are providing considerable financial support to employers, particularly smaller employers who play such a vital role in creating apprenticeship opportunities for young people. Employers of all sizes are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).
We are introducing a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (typically SMEs) that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. Employers hiring apprentices aged 18-24 who have been on Universal Credit for over six months will also be eligible for the new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant from June 2026.
Additionally, the government provides £1,000 to both employers, of all sizes, and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) or have been, or are, in care.
These payments can be stacked together where the employer and/or apprentice are eligible.
In addition, from August 2026, we will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers for eligible people aged 16-24, to boost small business starts and prioritise funding to young people. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department's proposed SEND reforms will support children who receive education otherwise than at school packages.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s consultation, “SEND reform: putting children and young people first”, proposes the introduction of Specialist Provision Packages for all children and young people with complex needs, including those children and young people whose needs are currently met through Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) packages of support.
After a 12-week consultation period, including over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables, the department’s consultation has now closed. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation and continuing to engage widely on our proposals.
As part of that continued engagement, we intend to publish a consultation on the use of EOTAS provision in the coming weeks. It is crucial that we get support for EOTAS children and young people right, particularly given their often complex needs. This consultation will seek views to ensure we meet those specific needs, and that these children and young people benefit from the inclusive education we want for all.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to maintain the rights of children on Education Otherwise Than At School packages.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s consultation, “SEND reform: putting children and young people first”, proposes the introduction of Specialist Provision Packages for all children and young people with complex needs, including those children and young people whose needs are currently met through Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) packages of support.
After a 12-week consultation period, including over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables, the department’s consultation has now closed. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation and continuing to engage widely on our proposals.
As part of that continued engagement, we intend to publish a consultation on the use of EOTAS provision in the coming weeks. It is crucial that we get support for EOTAS children and young people right, particularly given their often complex needs. This consultation will seek views to ensure we meet those specific needs, and that these children and young people benefit from the inclusive education we want for all.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time for a practical car driving test was in (a) April 2026 and (b) May 2026.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The table below shows the national average waiting time (based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available), and the national median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for car practical driving tests in April and May 2026.
Month | National average waiting time (based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) | National median waiting time (the time between the first test booking and test taken) |
April 2026 | 22.3 weeks | 9.1 weeks |
May 2026 | 21.8 weeks | 9.7 weeks |
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Class 357 trains c2c has upgraded since 17 December 2025; and whether the full fleet upgrade will be completed by December 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A total of 20 trains (80 vehicles) have been painted to date since the 17 December 2025. The current programme is scheduled to conclude in December 2026, with 26 trains (104 vehicles) still outstanding.
Asked by: Josh Dean (Labour - Hertford and Stortford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the new initial teacher training and early career framework includes content related to (a) identifying children’s social and emotional developmental needs and (b) supporting children with their identified social and emotional developmental needs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) and Early Career Framework covers the first three years or more of a teacher’s career. It sets out a minimum entitlement to training for all new teachers and, following a review, now contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
This includes content on how teaching and modelling a range of social and emotional skills, including how to recognise and understand feelings, manage emotions, and sustain positive relationships, can support pupils’ social and emotional development.
ITT providers must also ensure that their courses enable trainee teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards, to be recommended for qualified teacher status. The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, which includes those with speech and language challenges.
We are investing over £200 million to improve SEND training for all staff across education settings, and developing national inclusion standards to help teachers identify needs and put evidence-based support in place. From September 2026, all staff will have access to new government-backed training, with further courses from 2027.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Reeves to use Parliament to drive through power plants and infrastructure, published on 20 May 2026, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to maximise the use of domestic suppliers and manufacturers in nationally significant infrastructure and energy projects accelerated under the proposed reforms.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
On 20 May, the Chancellor announced a package of infrastructure planning reforms to accelerate delivery of the most important clean energy projects, strengthen the UK’s energy security and support economic growth.
By reducing delays and making the judicial review process faster, more predictable and more focused on genuine legal concerns, these reforms are expected to give investors greater confidence and support continued investment in infrastructure projects.
More broadly, this Government believes that it matters where things are made and who makes them and is reforming public procurement so that more of what the public sector buys supports UK-based businesses, including in critical industries.
HM Treasury is working closely with relevant departments on the detailed policy and legislative framework for these infrastructure planning reforms. Further detail will be set out in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Reeves to use Parliament to drive through power plants and infrastructure, published on 20 May 2026, if she will set out what role hon. Members will have in approving or scrutinising projects designated as being of Critical National Importance under the proposals.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
On 20 May, the Chancellor announced a package of infrastructure planning reforms to accelerate delivery of the most important clean energy projects, strengthen the UK’s energy security and support economic growth.
These proposals include a new route for Parliament to approve projects designated as Critical National Importance, providing greater certainty where the national interest is clearest. The route would apply only to energy projects identified by the Energy Secretary as Critical National Importance, and any such designation would require explicit parliamentary approval.
HM Treasury is working closely with relevant departments on the detailed policy and legislative framework for these reforms. Further detail will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s consultation document entitled Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts, published on 2 June 2026, how many meetings with businesses his department had during the drafting of the consultation.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers and officials have engaged extensively with business, trade unions and representative organisations on the zero hours measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025, informing the development of the consultation.
We have held over 17 meetings with businesses on these measures and over 11 meetings with trade unions, alongside wider engagement on Make Work Pay, and continue to meet regularly with business representative organisations and trade unions.
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of staff employed by the Land Registry work from home.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
HM Land Registry (HMLR) operates a hybrid working model under which staff are expected to spend at least 60% of their time on average working in an office, in line with Civil Service expectations.
Less than 2% of HMLR staff have not attended an office in the last 12 months. In addition to full-time homeworkers for whom this is a reasonable workplace adjustment (for example those managing long-term health conditions and disabilities), this includes employees on long-term sickness absence, maternity/paternity leave, and career breaks. Reasonable workplace adjustments are regularly reviewed.