Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the correspondence from the Permanent Secretary to his Department to the Hon Member for Thirsk & Malton of 24 November 2025.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
There are no plans to publish this correspondence.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase early identification of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department knows that effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
To support settings to identify need early, the department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings. Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices, as they highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective tools, strategies and approaches for teachers and other relevant staff in mainstream settings to identify and support children and young people with different types of needs.
We also recently announced new government-backed research into special educational need identification, which will be delivered by UK Research Innovation in partnership with the department. This will aim to develop and test trusted and effective approaches to help the early identification of children needing targeted educational support.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the British Toy and Hobby Association’s report entitled Still toying with children’s safety, published on 23 October 2025.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 require that all toys must be safe before being placed on the UK market, including online. Despite this, we recognise that non-compliant products remain available to UK consumers.
The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 provides Government with the necessary powers to update product safety legislation, including to modernise and clarify the responsibilities of online marketplaces. As announced at Budget, we will consult on proposals in early 2026.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards takes action to address non-compliant products sold online, including monitoring marketplaces, test purchasing, and taking appropriate enforcement action where necessary.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with Ofcom on the application of online advertising regulations for illegal gas work promotions.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State has had no discussions with Ofcom on this matter.
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 make it a criminal offence for anyone who is not on the Gas Safe Register to carry out gas work in domestic properties.
The Advertising Standards Authority requires all advertising to be legal and socially responsible. It is working with online platforms which have signed up to its Intermediary and Platform Principles to encourage compliance with the advertising codes online.
The Online Advertising Taskforce, chaired by the Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Arts, is also working to improve transparency and accountability in the online advertising supply chain.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, who is the Chief Risk Officer for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Each risk in the National Risk Register assigned to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has a designated Risk Owner, working within the Department which is responsible for designated risk areas. The Secretary of State and the Permanent Secretary are ultimately responsible for all risks owned by DBT as the Lead Government Department.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents who have repeatedly failed to meet their child maintenance payment obligations have been sent to prison in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The 2012 child maintenance reforms are designed to increase cooperation between separated parents and to ensure that children receive appropriate financial support. Where family-based arrangements are not suitable, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates a statutory scheme and applies a Payment Compliance strategy to address nonpayment. The CMS uses firm enforcement measures - such as liability orders, deductions from earnings, account deductions, passport and driving licence removal, and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment - when parents who have the means to pay choose not to. These powers are applied proportionately and in the best interests of children, and their deterrent effect ensures that their use remains low.
The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.2 of the accompanying National tables provides the outcome information where the CMS applied to courts to sanction Paying Parents for non-compliance. The table shows quarterly statistics for both suspended and immediate prison sentences and driving disqualifications for England & Wales and for Scotland, between July 2019 and September 2025.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the announced SEND funding will be allocated to Surrey County Council.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
In December, the department announced at least £3 billion for high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities or who require alternative provision. We will confirm local authority allocations for this funding in the spring.
This builds on the £740 million invested in 2025/26. which is on track to create around 10,000 new specialist places, of which Surrey Council was allocated just over £16 million for 2025/26.
This funding is intended to create facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs. It can also be used to adapt mainstream schools to be more accessible and create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools provide equal access to school reports, parents’ evening information, and other communications for separated and separating parents.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s parental responsibility guidance sets out how schools should communicate with non-resident parents. The guidance states that ’school and local authority staff must treat all parents equally, unless a court order limits a parent’s ability to make educational decisions, participate in school life or receive information about their child’.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to introduce policies requiring schools to give both parents equal access to information about their child’s education, regardless of parental separation status.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s parental responsibility guidance sets out how schools should communicate with non-resident parents. The guidance states that ’school and local authority staff must treat all parents equally, unless a court order limits a parent’s ability to make educational decisions, participate in school life or receive information about their child’.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 of the use of weight-loss injections upon the levels of grocery sales within the UK.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government Office for Science are currently exploring existing evidence and potential future implications of weight-loss drugs.