Written questions by Duncan-Jordan.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of SATs on levels of school attendance of children with SEND.

The department has not identified evidence that SATs have a specific or disproportionate impact on the attendance of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Internal analysis indicates that overall attendance patterns for pupils with SEND remain consistent during the SATs assessment period.Primary assessments are extensively trialled and reviewed by teachers and SEND specialists to ensure they are suitable for all and of appropriate difficulty, with modified papers and access arrangements available for pupils with SEND where needed.The department’s ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance makes clear that pupils with SEND have the same right to education and the same attendance ambition as their peers, and that schools and local authorities should provide appropriate support to enable their attendance, including during assessment periods..

What consideration has been given to legalising the use of electric scooters on roads for use by adults who also hold a full driving licence.

The Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles when parliamentary time allows. This will create safe, legal routes for people to use new transport technology like e-scooters. Any regulations, including a potential requirement for users to hold a driving licence, will be consulted on before they come into force so that all interested parties have a chance to shape the new regime.

Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to ensure that identifying information is not open to abuse by (a) Palantir and (b) other companies.

We do not hold any contracts with Palantir, however in terms of Identifying information, DSIT utilises the GDPR and Data protection laws in every contract it enters, we also have a dedicated data protection team that review these specific clauses before contract signature.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of requiring the non-UK children of UK citizens to have a UK passport in order to enter the country on trends in the number of people entering the UK.

British citizens, including those who hold dual nationality must travel with a valid British passport or another passport endorsed with a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode (CoE) when travelling to the UK. There is guidance on GOV.UK to help people determine whether they or their children qualify for British citizenship at: https://www.gov.uk/check-british-citizenship.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support leaseholders in Poole constituency for remediation work to properties that is required following the Grenfell Tower fire.

Eight years on from the Grenfell tragedy, there is no justification for any building to remain unsafe. The Government has provided extensive funding and strong legal protections to shield leaseholders from historical building safety costs following Grenfell, including cladding remediation funds and strengthened leaseholder rights under the Building Safety Act. In December 2024, Government launched the Remediation Acceleration Plan (RAP) to fix buildings faster, identify those still at risk, and support residents. An update in July 2025 outlined progress and further steps to remove barriers and strengthen accountability. As of December 2025, there are 30 buildings identified with unsafe cladding above 11m in the Poole constituency, of which 25 buildings have started or completed remediation works. The Government remains committed to considering how to strengthen protections for leaseholders from current and future building safety issues, outside the scope of the leaseholder protections regime. Plans to launch a new long-term Waking Watch Replacement Fund were announced as part of the RAP update in July 2025, and we plan to launch the new fund shortly. In the RAP, we announced we would work with the insurance industry to consider options for possible government support. We are currently engaging with industry and will provide an update in due course. Following a public consultation, we are also proceeding with legislation to ban insurance commissions being passed to freeholders, landlords and managing agents at leaseholders’ expense, and replace these with a fair and transparent permitted fee structure. As soon as parliamentary time allows, we will bring forward a new Remediation Bill to push the remediation of historic unsafe cladding further.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ban the sale and supply of peat for horticulture.

The Government plans to legislate for a ban on the sale of peat and peat containing products when parliamentary time allows. This commitment is embedded within our Carbon Budget planning and, most recently, reflected in the recently published Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). The need to work with the Devolved Governments on this matter, to ensure a joined-up approach, was discussed at the Inter Ministerial Group on 5 February 2026.

Communities and Local Government, if he will meet with the Social Housing Action Campaign to discuss their concerns around service charges.

Neither the Secretary of State nor I have any current plans to meet with the Social Housing Action Campaign.

If he will set out his methodology for determining the future funding of leadership and management apprenticeships.

The Government is transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy, backed by an additional £725 million of investment, which will deliver greater flexibility to employers, more opportunities for young people and support the industrial strategy. We have been working intensively with business on the next stages of reform and will announce plans for the development of the Growth and Skills Levy soon.

Whether she plans to extend VAT relief to community-based services like The Filo Project, that provide socialising activities and support for those with dementia.

Supplies of welfare services, including the provision of care for people with permanent disabilities and dementia, are exempt from VAT if they are supplied by eligible bodies, such as public bodies or charities. Because community interest companies (CICs) are not charities in law, they must meet the criteria of being state-regulated in order to provide VAT-exempt care services. This is to ensure that the VAT relief is carefully targeted at private providers offering safe and high-quality welfare services. The Government recognises that there are private organisations that bring value to the care sector without being regulated, but extending the VAT relief to include these would have to be carefully balanced against the risks that it poses More generally, VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a fixed 4% stamp duty on the purchase of properties.

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is charged using a rate structure which rises as properties get more valuable. This means that lower-value properties benefit more from the nil rate band, with the first £125,000 of any property not being charged SDLT at all. This ensures that those who can afford to pay more do so. SDLT continues to be an important source of Government revenue, raising around £14 billion each year to help pay for the essential services the Government provides.

If she will have discussions with the Met Police on the potential merits of it releasing further information on Operation Corn Poppy into alleged abuse at Harrods and other workplaces connected to the Al-Fayeds, including when it plans to (a) conclude and (b) report its findings.

We expect every report of a sexual offence and trafficking to be treated seriously from the point of disclosure, every victim to be treated with dignity and every investigation and prosecution to be conducted thoroughly and professionally.However, the Home Office is unable to intervene in, or comment on, the progress of these individual cases. This is not because of a lack of concern, but because it is a fundamental principle of our criminal justice system that the police and courts are operationally independent of Government.We are aware that the Metropolitan Police Service is continuing to conduct a multi-strand investigation into allegations involving Mohamed Al Fayed, known as Operation Cornpoppy and they are best placed to assess the potential merits of releasing further information on progress.

If she will have discussions with the Met Police on the potential merits of publishing the terms of reference for Operation Corn Poppy into alleged abuse at Harrods and other workplaces connected to the Al-Fayeds.

We expect every report of a sexual offence and trafficking to be treated seriously from the point of disclosure, every victim to be treated with dignity and every investigation and prosecution to be conducted thoroughly and professionally.However, the Home Office is unable to intervene in, or comment on, the progress of these individual cases. This is not because of a lack of concern, but because it is a fundamental principle of our criminal justice system that the police and courts are operationally independent of Government.We are aware that the Metropolitan Police Service is continuing to conduct a multi-strand investigation into allegations involving Mohamed Al Fayed, known as Operation Cornpoppy and they are best placed to assess the potential merits of releasing further information on progress.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of introducing a visitor levy in England on (a) visitor numbers and (b) local economies.

The impacts of the overnight visitor levy will be determined by local decisions. It will be up to Mayors and local leaders to decide whether to implement a levy, subject to a local consultation on specific proposals.The Government’s consultation on the design and scope of the visitor levy closed on 18 February, and we will publish an official response in due course.

Whether she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the Law Commission recommendations on reform of social care law for disabled children.

On 16 September 2025, the Law Commission published its final report on disabled children’s social care.’ The department is now considering and assessing the 40 recommendations made in the report. In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department will provide an initial response to these recommendations in March 2026, having engaged the relevant stakeholders. A full response to the recommendations as well as a proposed way forward will be provided in September 2026.

What recent discussions he has had with prime contractors in the Connect to Work programme on their use of charities and smaller organisations in gaining job and learning outcomes.

Connect to Work is our voluntary, locally led Supported Employment programme that will help around 300,000 disabled people, people with health conditions and individuals with more complex barriers to employment by the end of the decade, across England and Wales. Mayors and Local Authorities have been funded to design and deliver local Connect to Work programmes. It is delivered through a higher number of smaller delivery areas than has been the case for recent national DWP contracted employment programmes. This approach aims to support better integration with local services and enable more smaller local organisations to have the opportunity to be involved in delivery. Areas choose how the programme is delivered, for example, in house or through external providers; and how any external provider is selected. DWP has not mandated the type of provider, but the grant guidance includes the voluntary and charitable sector as examples of potential local partners and supporting organisations. Areas have been encouraged to ensure any delivery organisation has good local knowledge, as well as the ability to deliver Supported Employment.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the earned settlement proposals on backlogs for care assessments carried about by registered social workers.

The earned settlement public consultation ran for 12 weeks and closed on 12 February 2026. We are now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures for those already on a pathway to settlement.Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly. As with all significant policy changes, the proposals will be subject to both an economic impact assessment and equality impact assessment which we will publish as well as the Government’s response in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed earned settlement arrangements on the number of registered social workers.

The earned settlement public consultation ran for 12 weeks and closed on 12 February 2026. We are now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures for those already on a pathway to settlement.Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly. As with all significant policy changes, the proposals will be subject to both an economic impact assessment and equality impact assessment which we will publish as well as the Government’s response in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed earned settlement arrangements on the staffing of children's services.

The earned settlement public consultation ran for 12 weeks and closed on 12 February 2026. We are now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures for those already on a pathway to settlement.Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly. As with all significant policy changes, the proposals will be subject to both an economic impact assessment and equality impact assessment which we will publish as well as the Government’s response in due course.

What plans are in the GP IT roadmap to allow for the safe handover of care at the end of each working day to out-of-hours providers.

As part of the Government’s National Health Service 10‑Year Health Plan commitment to deliver a single patient record, we are supporting healthcare professionals to access important medical information about patients by investing £20 million in the Connecting Care Records programme. This programme ensures authorised health and care professionals in England have safe and secure access to the person-related information that they need to provide care when they need it, where they need it, and how they need it.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to secure a carve out for animal welfare in the SPS agreement.

The Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and will look to raise standards further through our recently published Animal Welfare Strategy. As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area. The EU has accepted there will need to be a number of areas where we need to retain our own rules. Negotiations with the EU on the SPS agreement are underway and we cannot provide an ongoing commentary on these discussions, but we are clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards.