Written questions by Duncan-Jordan.

What estimate she has made of the number of (a) children of school age with complex SEND needs and (b) specialist educational places required for such children in the next five academic years.

This government has inherited a growing tide of unmet need amongst children and young people.The government does not forecast the number of school-aged pupils with complex needs as a specific category, but has produced national level estimates of the number of all children and young people with education, health and care (EHC) plans. As noted in the National Audit Office report, the department’s central estimate is that, without policy interventions, the number of EHC plans will nearly double from approximately 518,000 in 2022/23 to just over 1,000,000 in 2032/33.Starting from summer 2023, for the first time, the department has collected data from local authorities on capacity in special schools and special educational needs (SEN) units and resourced provision (attached to mainstream schools), which have been published on GOV.UK. This shows that the government has inherited a landscape of rising demand for specialist provision within mainstream and special schools which is not being met. There were 148,000 special school places reported, with an additional 9,000 places reported in SEN units and 18,000 in resourced provision. Around 63% of special schools are at or over capacity. On average schools that are over capacity have around 12% more pupils than reported capacity.Therefore, the department understands that many children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) still struggle to find a suitable school placement that is close to their home and meets their needs.That is why earlier this month, the department announced £740 million in high needs capital funding for 2025/26. Local authorities can use this funding to adapt classrooms to be more inclusive and accessible and create specialist facilities within mainstream schools, alongside continuing to support placements in special schools for pupils with the most complex needs. It will pave the way for the government’s wide-ranging long term plans for reform to help more pupils with SEND to have their needs met in mainstream schools.

How much funding her Department plans to provide to help prevent (a) domestic abuse and (b) sexist and misogynistic attitudes that underpin domestic violence in the next financial year.

This Government has committed to halving violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse, in a decade.Addressing the attitudes and root causes of domestic abuse is fundamental to our approach. It is essential we have a comprehensive approach to prevention, from education to early intervention and targeting the most prolific and repeat offenders.Following the spending review announcements in October, the Home Office is now deciding how the total funding settlement is allocated across the department to deliver the Government’s priorities. The Government has identified several priority areas for reform, which it will build on in Phase Two of the Spending Review. Phase Two will be mission-led, ensuring Departments work together to develop a shared strategy for delivering the Government’s priorities.

What assessment her Department has made of the merits of ensuring that the Staying Close programme is accessible to all Looked After Children.

This government is committed to providing support for care leavers to ensure they have the practical and emotional support they need as they move towards independence. The department intends to legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to ensure all local authorities consider whether care leavers (up to age 25) in their area require Staying Close support and, if their welfare requires it, provide that support.Evaluation of the initial Staying Close pilots found clear improvements in outcomes for care leavers, including a 20% improvement in mental health outcomes, a 13% reduction in the number of young people who were not in education, employment or training (NEET), and a 21% reduction in anti-social behaviour. The independent evaluations also found that Staying Close supported young people to develop and build the skills needed to prepare for independent living. Feedback showed that young people’s life skills had improved after six months of participating in the project and that young people felt happier in themselves, had better stability in their accommodation and there was increased participation in activities, whether education, employment or wider activities.The department has commissioned the Centre for Homelessness Impact to undertake a further evaluation of Staying Close’s impact. This is due to report in early 2025.The government supports the use of supported lodgings for care leavers. When working with the young person to review their individual needs and a suitable package of support through Staying Close they will be able to decide the best form of accommodation together. Any decisions should be tailored to the needs of the young person to help develop their confidence and skills for independent living and for their emotional health and wellbeing.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of supported lodgings in supporting the aims of the Staying Close programme.

This government is committed to providing support for care leavers to ensure they have the practical and emotional support they need as they move towards independence. The department intends to legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to ensure all local authorities consider whether care leavers (up to age 25) in their area require Staying Close support and, if their welfare requires it, provide that support.Evaluation of the initial Staying Close pilots found clear improvements in outcomes for care leavers, including a 20% improvement in mental health outcomes, a 13% reduction in the number of young people who were not in education, employment or training (NEET), and a 21% reduction in anti-social behaviour. The independent evaluations also found that Staying Close supported young people to develop and build the skills needed to prepare for independent living. Feedback showed that young people’s life skills had improved after six months of participating in the project and that young people felt happier in themselves, had better stability in their accommodation and there was increased participation in activities, whether education, employment or wider activities.The department has commissioned the Centre for Homelessness Impact to undertake a further evaluation of Staying Close’s impact. This is due to report in early 2025.The government supports the use of supported lodgings for care leavers. When working with the young person to review their individual needs and a suitable package of support through Staying Close they will be able to decide the best form of accommodation together. Any decisions should be tailored to the needs of the young person to help develop their confidence and skills for independent living and for their emotional health and wellbeing.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of parent-delivered early language interventions for young children with Down Syndrome.

Parents and carers have an important role to play in the learning and development of their child. Practitioners should work jointly with parents and carers to support a child’s speech, language and communication needs in the home environment.The department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice in mainstream settings, which will also consider the important role that parents and caregivers can play in defining and implementing these interventions. The department has also published guidance for local authorities about the expectations around the support they should make available through Family Hubs. This could include, for example, special education needs and disabilities appropriate parenting programmes, peer support for parents, respite provision and support for siblings or specialist health services. In some cases, parent-carer forums and respite provision may be located at the Family Hub, where appropriate.This should be further supported by statutory guidance published by the NHS in May 2023 requiring that every Integrated Care Board (ICB) must identify a member of its board to lead on supporting the ICB to perform its functions effectively in the interest of people with Down syndrome.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart to lift the ban on journalists reporting from Gaza.

Earlier this month, the Foreign Secretary, together with his French and German counterparts, wrote to the Israeli government to urge action on the unacceptable situation in Gaza. The UK has been clear that Israel must act in accordance with International Humanitarian Law and protect civilians, which includes journalists and media workers, and we call on all parties to the conflict to comply with international law and guarantee the protection of journalists and media workers covering the conflict. On 02 November, I highlighted the ongoing situation in Gaza and those that had lost their lives in the name of press freedom. The UK remains committed to Media Freedom and to championing democracy and human rights around the world. Independent media is essential to a functioning society.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring future housing developments provide electronic vehicle charging facilities for residents.

Since June 2022, Part S of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 requires new residential properties with associated parking to have access to electric vehicle chargepoints.

Whether she plans to restore funding to the Career Change Programme.

Career changers make a valuable contribution to the teaching profession and the department remains committed to recruiting and supporting them into initial teacher training. The department’s wider offer to all potential teachers, including career changers, supports them through their journey to apply for teacher training and during the critical early years of teaching. This includes the ‘Get Into Teaching’ service which offers one-to-one support and advice to all candidates, including career changers.The current contract for the Career Changers Programme will come to an end in autumn 2026.

Whether her Department has had recent discussions with representatives of migrant organisations on the development of a digital solution for the e-visa scheme.

The Home Office has implemented a comprehensive engagement strategy to smooth the transition to eVisas and to maximise awareness raising across various sectors. This includes collaboration with key stakeholders including migrant organisations. The Home Office is committed to ensuring everyone, including the elderly, those with learning disabilities, those with limited English and the most vulnerable, are properly supported as we transform our immigration system. On 18 September 2024, we announced that the Government is providing up to £4m in dedicated grant funding to a UK wide network of voluntary and community sector organisations to deliver valuable support to those who need it, during the transition from physical immigration documents to eVisas. The list of organisations is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evisa-community-support-for-vulnerable-people. We have ensured that the wording used to explain how to create a UKVI account and get access to an eVisa is simple and can be easily translated using various free online services. In consultation with stakeholders, we are also considering providing some information about the transition to eVisas in other languages. People can nominate a ‘helper’ and give them limited access to their account, so that they can assist with creating a UKVI account to access an eVisa, and with any immigration application. Where a person is unable to manage their own affairs due to, for example, age or disability, an authorised ‘proxy’ can create and manage the account on behalf of the person. People can also contact the UK Visas and Immigration Resolution Centre (https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk for support via email and webchat, and telephone. For those inside the UK our Assisted Digital service is available to provide support by phone and email to those who need help with IT-related aspects of creating a UKVI account and accessing an eVisa. Access needs can include any disability that requires support to use online services, a lack of device or a lack of internet access. More information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/assisted-digital-help-online-applicationWe are also taking further steps to reduce the number of circumstances where people need to provide evidence of their immigration status, by developing services to make the relevant immigration status information available automatically through system to system checks with other government departments and the NHS.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the e-Visa scheme on (a) older people, (b) those with learning difficulties, (c) non-English speakers and (d) those with limited access to technology.

The Home Office has implemented a comprehensive engagement strategy to smooth the transition to eVisas and to maximise awareness raising across various sectors. This includes collaboration with key stakeholders including migrant organisations. The Home Office is committed to ensuring everyone, including the elderly, those with learning disabilities, those with limited English and the most vulnerable, are properly supported as we transform our immigration system. On 18 September 2024, we announced that the Government is providing up to £4m in dedicated grant funding to a UK wide network of voluntary and community sector organisations to deliver valuable support to those who need it, during the transition from physical immigration documents to eVisas. The list of organisations is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evisa-community-support-for-vulnerable-people. We have ensured that the wording used to explain how to create a UKVI account and get access to an eVisa is simple and can be easily translated using various free online services. In consultation with stakeholders, we are also considering providing some information about the transition to eVisas in other languages. People can nominate a ‘helper’ and give them limited access to their account, so that they can assist with creating a UKVI account to access an eVisa, and with any immigration application. Where a person is unable to manage their own affairs due to, for example, age or disability, an authorised ‘proxy’ can create and manage the account on behalf of the person. People can also contact the UK Visas and Immigration Resolution Centre (https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk for support via email and webchat, and telephone. For those inside the UK our Assisted Digital service is available to provide support by phone and email to those who need help with IT-related aspects of creating a UKVI account and accessing an eVisa. Access needs can include any disability that requires support to use online services, a lack of device or a lack of internet access. More information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/assisted-digital-help-online-applicationWe are also taking further steps to reduce the number of circumstances where people need to provide evidence of their immigration status, by developing services to make the relevant immigration status information available automatically through system to system checks with other government departments and the NHS.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Warm Home Discount to include all disabled members of an eligible household.

The Warm Home Discount currently focuses support towards those on lowest incomes who receive means-tested benefits and living in a property estimated to be relatively high cost to heat. The eligibility criteria are set to make best use of the data available to identify households at greatest risk of fuel poverty. This winter's scheme opened on 14 October, and we expect it to support over three million households. We are exploring options to improve the design of the scheme beyond the current regulations which expire in 2026.

What assessment she has made of the impact of living in a low income household on rates of school absences.

The department publishes absence data for pupils broken down by pupil characteristic. This includes data for pupils who are eligible for free school meals (FSM). The latest absence data can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england-autumn-2023-and-spring-2024.To support the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils, pupil premium funding in the 2024/25 financial year has increased to over £2.9 billion. Pupil premium funding is allocated to eligible schools based on the number of pupils who are recorded as eligible for FSM or have been recorded as eligible in the past six years (referred to as Ever 6 FSM), as well as children who are looked after by the local authority or have been adopted from care or left care. In line with the pupil premium ‘menu of approaches’, schools can spend their pupil premium on evidence-based strategies to support attendance.More broadly, the department’s ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ statutory guidance sets clear expectations that where pupils face additional barriers which affect their attendance, schools should work with these families and put support in place to help them to attend. Where the barriers are outside of the school’s control, all local partners should work together to support pupils and parents to access support to ensure regular attendance. The guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf.

If he will take steps to (a) reschedule Psilocybin to allow it to be prescribed and (b) retain its status as a class A substance for other purposes.

There are no current plans to reschedule psilocybin under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, also known as the Act.There is an established process for the development of medicines, overseen by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This enables medicines, including those containing Schedule 1 controlled drugs under the Act, such as psilocybin, to be developed, evaluated in clinical trials, and licensed, based on an assessment of their safety, quality, and efficacy, before being made available to patients in the United Kingdom. Should an application be submitted for a marketing authorisation, for a product licence, it will ultimately be a decision for the MHRA whether to license psilocybin as a therapy. There are no psilocybin-based medicines with a marketing authorisation in the UK.If a manufacturer is successful in being granted a marketing authorisation by the MHRA for a medicine containing psilocybin, the Home Office is committed to reviewing its scheduling under the Act, subject to advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on the appropriate scheduling and safeguards for the medicine.The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is supporting psilocybin research via the NIHR King’s Clinical Research Facility, the NIHR Oxford Health Clinical Research Facility, and the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, where researchers are developing and evaluating the efficacy and safety of psilocybin therapies.

If the Government will propose that the principles of (a) human rights, (b) workers' rights and (c) climate justice are contained within the UN Tax Convention.

The UK is committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure inclusive and effective international tax cooperation, and has been actively engaging in negotiations at the UN over a future Framework Convention. The UK believes that a UN Tax Framework Convention has the potential to further advance international tax cooperation, but to be successful, it needs to be clear in its aims, avoid duplicating initiatives, and seek to secure the broad support and participation of members. The UK was disappointed that these principles were not fully reflected in the Terms of Reference agreed by the UN Ad Hoc Committee in August, but will continue to engage constructively in support of key principles for strengthening international tax cooperation.

If she will make it her policy to support the UN Tax Convention.

The UK is committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure inclusive and effective international tax cooperation, and has been actively engaging in negotiations at the UN over a future Framework Convention. The UK believes that a UN Tax Framework Convention has the potential to further advance international tax cooperation, but to be successful, it needs to be clear in its aims, avoid duplicating initiatives, and seek to secure the broad support and participation of members. The UK was disappointed that these principles were not fully reflected in the Terms of Reference agreed by the UN Ad Hoc Committee in August, but will continue to engage constructively in support of key principles for strengthening international tax cooperation.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require imported pork to meet the UK's animal welfare standards.

The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare and recognises farmers’ concerns about imports produced using methods not permitted in the UK. We have been clear that we will use our Trade Strategy to promote the highest food production standards. All pork imported into the UK must meet standards at least equivalent to the key requirements set out in the protection of animals at the time of killing legislation.

What the criteria were for award of the contract for Research on the operation and impact of Safety Valve agreements on children, young people and their families.

In April 2024, all suppliers registered with the Crown Commercial Service’s RM6126 Research & Insights Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), with the relevant skills and experience, were invited to apply to conduct a research project in relation to the Safety Valve programme. This project will look at the operation and impact of Safety Valve agreements on children, young people and their families. Suppliers were identified by using the following filters amongst those registered on the DPS: primary, secondary, special needs/special educational needs, qualitative research, online fieldwork, case studies, public sector employees, teaching, parents (including foster parents and adopted parents). As a result, 103 organisations were invited to apply, and of these, we received seven bids.Bids were assessed against the following published criteria: the knowledge, capability and experience of the project team, their proposed methodology and approach, their experience in communicating and delivering high quality reports, how they supported the physical and mental health of their workforce, and value for money. Departmental officials followed the required purchasing processes and protocols in compliance with the DPS framework.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of assessing entitlement to benefits on individual income.

The Department provides support for different needs across a range of benefits. Each of these benefits has its own assessment criteria and entitlements dependent on the claimant’s circumstances. The Secretary of State continues to monitor all support provided by the Department.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the environmental impact of fast fashion.

The Government has not made an assessment of the environmental impact of fast fashion. The Government is funding action on textiles through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). As part of this work, WRAP has produced a number of reports including the Textiles Market Situation Report 2024 which looks at textile consumption, manufacturing and the post-consumer textiles market. This report, as well as a range of WRAP’s other textiles-related reports, are published on their website at: https://www.wrap.ngo/taking-action/textiles/key-resources. WRAP also manages the Textiles 2030 voluntary initiative on our behalf. This supports businesses and organisations within the fashion and textiles industry to transition to more sustainable and circular practices.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has plans to continue funding the UK Youth Parliament after March 2026.

This government values the contribution young people have to make on decision making at all levels of government and understand this leads to better, more impactful policy locally, regionally and nationally. We are committed to ensuring young people have a voice on issues that matter to them and affect their lives. Through our new national youth strategy we will lead the way on effective youth participation in decision making at all levels and adopting approaches which can be used across government.The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) is one of the existing youth voice programmes. Through this programme, a number of young people can learn about the democratic process, engage with policy, and debate issues that matter to them. Whilst we are currently working towards the next spending review, future spending cannot be confirmed at this stage.