Written questions by Stephenson.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of trends in the level of land banking by developers.

My Department does not routinely collect data from private developers on their land holdings or contracts over land.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled Experimental AI could help councils meet housing targets by digitising records, published on 19 April 2025, if she will issue guidance to local authorities on the expected quality checks they will need to put in place to ensure that data is transcribed accurately.

The ‘Extract’ tool is currently being tested. When the tool is launched the department will provide guidance alongside it to support local authorities in verifying and producing accurate data. The tool has also been designed to include a human verification element in the process of extracting data, which will enable local authorities to identify if any of the data is inaccurate and amend the results.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to funding to Natural England for national landscapes on important (a) habitats and (b) wildlife.

For the 2024-2025 financial year Natural England received a total of £237 million funding from Defra in their Delegated Authority Document, and for 2025-2026 this figure is £248 million.

How much funding per pupil per school day will be provided to schools to fund universal breakfast clubs.

I refer the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire to the answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56756.

If she will make an estimate of the number of days of education lost because of flooding in each of the last five academic years.

The information requested cannot be provided as this is not held by the department.

If she will make an estimate of the number of schools that were affected by flooding in each of the last five academic years.

The department cannot provide the information requested for all schools. However, our Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) collects details of claims to its service. The table below shows the number of flooding related claims made to the RPA in each of the last five academic years as at 31 December 2024.Academic Year2019/202020/212021/222022/232023/242024/25*TotalRPA Member Schools6,3877,7169,09810,00811,14412,538 Members who experienced a weather-related event3172672034274272581899 *Partial year up to and including December 2024.

With reference to the guidance entitled New national flood and coastal erosion risk information, published on 25 March 2025, whether her Department has held discussions with local authorities on insurance costs for schools now included in flood zones (a) two and (b) three.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the department’s Schools Water Strategy team work with delivery partners such as the Environment Agency, water companies and lead local flood authorities to deliver flood prevention measures in schools through a number of workstreams.The department has invested in measures to reduce risk to flooding at 573 schools to the end of 2023/24 and through the Schools Water Strategy, we continue to invest in flood prevention in schools at risk of flooding in line with the published Sustainability and Climate Change strategy.Local authorities can choose which insurance provider is suitable for their needs, considering both breadth of cover and value for money.The department’s Risk Protection Arrangement is an alternative to commercial insurance and operates on a no material fact disclosure basis, which means the cost of the service to its members will be unaffected by this information.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 40352 on Mathematics: Mid Bedfordshire, when she plans to publish further details on (a) funding for the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme and (b) the full offer for (i) schools and (ii) colleges in each area.

On 6 May 2025, the department announced £8.2 million of funding for the advanced maths support programme (AMSP). More information about this programme is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-girls-to-study-maths-under-plans-to-improve-pathway-into-ai-careers.The AMSP have recently provided an update on these changes, effective from 1 April 2025, with further information on the full offer for schools and colleges to be released shortly. These updates can be found via the AMSP’s website using the following link: https://amsp.org.uk/.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the film industry, in the context of President Trump’s announcement of 100% tariffs in the US on films produced in the UK.

Although an authorisation for the Dept of Commerce to introduce tariffs on films produced outside the US was announced on 5 May, no such tariffs have so far been introduced.The deep ties between the US and UK film industries provide mutual economic and cultural benefits to both countries as film production is an inherently international business with global audiences. .The UK agreed a landmark economic deal with the US on 8 May, and we are committed to maintaining our strong partnership.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the level of funding for Natural England's National Landscapes programme on the number of tourists visiting protected landscapes each year.

Tourism is a critical part of the local economy, particularly in regions like Dorset, which benefit from a unique natural landscape and internationally recognised sites such as the Jurassic Coast.I am fully aware of the importance of protecting these natural landscapes across England.The Government is committed to promoting sustainable tourism practices, working with local partners to manage visitor numbers responsibly, and supporting projects that focus on conservation. VisitEngland also provides guidance on sustainable tourism to help protect these areas.National Landscapes play a crucial role in improving public health and wellbeing across England. As well as being essential for our nation’s health, Protected Landscapes protect communities from flooding, fight climate change, and foster a thriving green economy.In recognition of this, we have committed to empower Protected Landscapes to be greener, wilder and more accessible. In December we announced plans to strengthen their underpinning legislation and introduce regulations to ensure that public bodies deliver better outcomes in Protected Landscapes. We have also extended programmes such as Farming In Protected Landscapes, providing £30 million to support projects in our National Parks and Protected Landscapes, until March 2026.We understand resourcing remains a challenge and recognise that the Defra core grant is vital to support England’s Protected Landscapes. The Government is facing a very challenging wider fiscal context. This has meant that Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding. Given these pressures on public finances, we are also committed to working with Protected Landscapes organisations to identify additional sources of funding and foster innovation to ensure their future for generations to come.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the beer and pub sector on UK culture and tourism.

The Pub and beer sector hold a special place in British culture, as well as being a core attraction for tourists and local people alike. They are an essential part of the visitor economy and found in every single community across England. They are a place for social gatherings, entertainment, food and drink as well as overnight accommodation.According to research published by The British Beer and Pub Association when asked about their go-to spots during UK holidays, 6 in 10 respondents said they visit pubs, placing them just behind restaurants (73%) and on par with historic landmarks (63%).The Government remains dedicated to ongoing collaboration with the DBT who oversees policy for hospitality to ensure stakeholder views are represented. This commitment will help ensure the UK has an attractive and competitive hospitality offer for both domestic and international visitors.

If he will make it his policy to include the beer and pub sector in his Department's forthcoming industrial strategy.

The Industrial Strategy Green Paper identified eight growth-driving sectors: Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy Industries, Creative Industries, Defence, Digital and Technologies, Financial Services, Life Sciences and Professional and Business Services. Sector Plans for the eight growth-driving sectors will be published alongside the Industrial Strategy in Spring 2025, aligned with the multi-year Spending Review. The Sector Plans will set out the specific sub-sectors of focus, identify key barriers to growth, and describe how government and industry intend to achieve long-term growth for the sector.All sectors will benefit from wider policy reform through the Industrial Strategy’s cross-cutting policies alongside the broader Growth Mission. This will create the pro-business environment for all businesses to invest and employ, and consumers to spend with confidence.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support British filmmaking businesses, in the context of the announcement of 100% tariffs on films produced in the UK by the US President on 5 May 2025.

Although an authorisation for the Dept of Commerce to introduce tariffs on films produced outside the US was announced on 5 May, no such tariffs have so far been introduced.The deep ties between the US and UK film industries provide mutual economic and cultural benefits to both countries as film production is an inherently international business with global audiences. .The UK agreed a landmark economic deal with the US on 8 May, and we are committed to maintaining our strong partnership.

What steps he is taking to ensure the resilience of the electricity grid, in the context of fluctuating levels of power within the grid.

Great Britain has a highly resilient energy network with diverse sources of supply and maintaining the security of electricity supply is a key priority for Government. We are working with the energy industry, regulators and other stakeholders to continually improve and maintain the resilience and security of energy infrastructure. We work to reduce the vulnerability of networks and assets, taking into account a range of threats and future system changes. The National Energy System Operator has well-established tools to balance the system in a wide range of scenarios, including in the event of voltage and frequency fluctuations.

What steps he is taking to support the beer and pub sector.

Pubs and the beer sector are central to our communities and vital to economic growth. I regularly meet with sector representatives. To understand their challenges. We are also supporting initiatives like Pub is The Hub to encourage local investment. Additionally, we have launched a licensing taskforce to cut red tape and remove barriers to business growth.We also plan to introduce permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000 and are reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products, saving the sector over £85 million annually.

With reference to the national flood risk assessment data, published on 25 March 2025, whether her Department plans to improve the flood defences of schools in flood zones (a) two and (b) three.

The department’s Schools Water Strategy team works with delivery partners such as the Environment Agency, water companies and lead local flood authorities to deliver flood prevention measures in schools through a number of workstreams.The Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in schools project collaborates with industry experts to jointly fund SuDS’ installation in schools at risk of surface water, reducing their flood risk.The Environment Agency Partnership contributes funding to enable large-scale community flood schemes to be delivered.The Property Flood Resilience assesses and implements property flood resilience and recovery measures across the school estate, targeting schools in high-risk areas and schools that have suffered repeated disruption.Awareness and Education signposts or provides schools with appropriate information and tools to manage their water-related climate risks, as well as educational materials to support this and necessary behavioural changes.The department has invested in measures to reduce risk to flooding at 573 schools to the end of 2024/25 through the Schools Water Strategy and will continue to invest in flood prevention in schools at risk of flooding in line with the published Sustainability and Climate Change strategy.

With reference to the national flood risk assessment data, published on 25 March 2025, whether she has written to schools with buildings in flood zones (a) two and (b) three.

The department’s Schools Water Strategy team works with delivery partners such as the Environment Agency, water companies and lead local flood authorities to deliver flood prevention measures in schools through a number of workstreams.The Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in schools project collaborates with industry experts to jointly fund SuDS’ installation in schools at risk of surface water, reducing their flood risk.The Environment Agency Partnership contributes funding to enable large-scale community flood schemes to be delivered.The Property Flood Resilience assesses and implements property flood resilience and recovery measures across the school estate, targeting schools in high-risk areas and schools that have suffered repeated disruption.Awareness and Education signposts or provides schools with appropriate information and tools to manage their water-related climate risks, as well as educational materials to support this and necessary behavioural changesThe department has invested in measures to reduce risk to flooding at 573 schools to the end of 2024/25 through the Schools Water Strategy, and will continue to invest in flood prevention in schools at risk of flooding in line with the published Sustainability and Climate Change strategy.All education settings are expected to have a climate action plan to prepare for the effects of climate change, of which flooding is one. Taking a whole-school approach to climate change includes consideration towards climate adaptation and mitigation, supporting carbon reduction and nature recovery and increasing resilience to climate-related impacts such as flooding. The department has commissioned the Sustainability Support for Education hub to help settings start or continue with their sustainability journey, as well as funding the Climate Ambassador programme, which provides access to tailored support from experts from industry to develop and implement their climate action plans. Details about the hub can be found here: https://www.sustainabilitysupportforeducation.org.uk/. Details about the programme are available here: https://climateambassadors.org.uk/.

With reference to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury of 3 March 2025, Official Report, column 40WH, on what evidential basis she estimated that 100 additional private schools would close over three years.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government published the following Policy Paper Private school fees — VAT measure - GOV.UK . The basis for the estimate of school closures is set out in this paper under the heading ‘Impact on business including civil society organisations’. Further explanation of the methodology behind the estimate of the demand reduction referred to in the above Paper is set out in the Annex to the Government_Response_to_the_Technical_Note_on_Applying_VAT_to_Private_School_Fees_and_Removing_the_Business_Rates_Charitable_Rate_Relief.pdf, under the heading ‘Demand’. This was also published at the Autumn Budget.

What recent estimate he has made of the potential impact of making the power grid net zero by 2030 on energy bills.

Our clean power target means transitioning to an electricity system that produces at least 95% of Great Britain’s generation from clean sources. NESO's analysis confirmed delivering clean power by 2030 is deliverable, more secure, and could see a lower cost of electricity, and lower bills. The Department accepts NESO's modelling that clean power by 2030 can be delivered without increasing costs to consumers, with scope for lower bills. Over this Parliament the government will be working relentlessly to translate the much cheaper wholesale costs of clean power into lower bills for consumers.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of making the power grid net zero by 2030 on jobs.

The Government’s initial assessment of the challenges of building the skilled workforce to deliver the Clean Energy Superpower Mission has been outlined in the Clean Power Action Plan. The Plan includes an Evidence Annex which provides a basis for government to better understand the 2030 workforce requirements and support targeted skills planning. DESNZ will publish our Clean Energy Workforce Strategy this summer. It will set out how we intend to grow and support the talent pipeline for Clean Power 2030 and net zero by 2050.The wider transition to net zero is expected to support hundreds of thousands of jobs, with Clean Power 2030 playing a key part in stimulating a wealth of new jobs and economic opportunities across the country.