Written questions by Holden.

What the evidential basis is for her assessment that schools can make efficiency savings within budgets without reducing headcount.

Overall school funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning the core school budget will total £65.3 billion. This is a 6% rise in cash terms, or a 3.3% increase in real terms, compared to 2024/25. We are providing schools with an additional £615 million in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with the 4% teacher pay award and 3.2% support staff pay offer.Schools will be expected play their part in driving productivity across the public sector and find approximately the first 1% of pay awards by ensuring resources are deployed to maximise support for teaching and learning.There is already evidence that schools are making savings and bringing down operating costs. For example, 400 schools participating in the department’s new energy offer are projected to save an average of 36% compared to previous contracts.We are also working to secure better banking solutions and provide services such as Get Help Buying for Schools and the Teaching Vacancies Service to reduce procurement and recruitment costs. This support has evolved from the School Resource Management Programme, which helped schools realise £1 billion of savings between 2018 and 2022.We know workforce deployment is the biggest component of school budgets. We will support schools to benefit fully from the tools we already offer to benchmark and integrate resourcing and curriculum planning, such as the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. We will also introduce a new toolkit to support schools to adopt evidence-based deployment models.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Councils to seize and crush fly-tipping vehicles to clean up Britain, published on 29 April 2025 whether the Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team was consulted on its publication.

Government departments do not comment on or share internal advice. Any announcements made during the pre-election period are carefully considered and taken in line with the principles set out under the Civil Service guidance.

Whether his Department provides unconscious bias training; and whether his Department plans to provide unconscious bias training to staff from NHS England when that organisation is abolished.

The Department aligns itself to the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion approach to learning and to the use of evidence led interventions. The Department does not provide unconscious bias training to its staff, and there are no current plans to provide unconscious bias training for NHS England staff.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Data (Use and Access) Bill [Lords] on legal professional privilege, in the context of Information Commissioner powers to review documents covered by legal professional privilege.

An assessment of the impact of all of the measures contained in the Bill, including legal professional privilege, was published [on the 24th October] Parliament website at: https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/56548/documents/5221 [prior to Second Reading in the Lords].The Government has no plans to carry out any further assessments of the impact of LPP, (on the Information Commissioner or any other body).

When she expects the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse to be published.

Baroness Louise Casey is currently completing her audit into the nature, scale and characteristics of grooming gangs offending.I updated the House on 2 June that Baroness Casey has requested a short extension to her work from the Home Secretary to allow her to speak directly to victims, fully access the scale of the issue, and submit meaningful evidence-based recommendations to further tackle this abhorrent criminality.We expect to receive the report very shortly. We will then set out a comprehensive response, as well as next steps on the action we have already announced.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 May to Question 51955 on Electronic Cigarettes: Young People, what estimate he has made of the number of very high puff-count vaping devices which (a) are refillable and rechargeable and (b) contain a replaceable coil are available on the UK market.

The ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes came into force on Sunday 1 June. It is therefore too early to make a reliable estimate of the number of high-puff count vaping devices which are refillable, reusable, and which contain a replaceable coil.However, we are aware of a number of high-puff count vapes that are not captured by the single-use vape ban. The Department is taking powers through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill that will enable regulation of any high puff vape that is not captured by the ban. The bill provides powers on product features that allows the Government to regulate the size of a tank or refill container, and the amount of liquid that can be included, as well as powers to standardise the size and shape of vapes, and to further restrict liquid availability. In addition, the bill contains powers that allow us to regulate the amount of nicotine in a puff, so the Government is able to restrict the nicotine not only in the tank, but also the nicotine that can be emitted in the vapour.The Government will consider this issue further as part of its secondary legislation programme after Royal Assent of the bill.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the continued operation of UK-registered charities with links to hostile foreign regimes on national security.

The Government's first duty is to protect our national security and keep our country safe. In concert with partners, we will continue to use all appropriate tools at our disposal to protect the UK, and its people, from state threats. We do not routinely comment on the detail of operational matters or specific threats.The Charity Commission for England and Wales has a statutory function to identify and investigate misconduct and mismanagement in charities. We are confident that it has the expertise to do so effectively.

What progress he has made towards launching an online public dashboard enabling people to monitor progress on policy targets.

The Government makes use of a number of internal dashboards that allow them to track progress against policy objectives.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 51961 on Abellio Greater Anglia and c2c: Standards, if he will list the (a) metrics (b) incentives and (c) penalties applicable to public sector train operators.

Public sector operators will have to meet rigorous, bespoke performance standards and earn the right to be called Great British Railways. They will be held to account for their performance against metrics including punctuality, reliability, customer experience and satisfaction, service quality, financial performance, environmental performance and minimising rates of ticketless travel. Performance against metrics will be regularly reported to the Department and many metrics will also be published, including at train stations.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 45917 on Armed Forces: Equality, if he will publish the training manuals and documentation prepared for each of those courses provided by the Defence Academy.

No. The course material is subject to Crown copyright. There are many companies that deliver ED&I training who could financially benefit from copying our course material.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has issued guidance to local authorities on interpreting the business tests under Part 1 of the Schedule of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 in cases in which animal rescue charities charge (a) standardised rehoming fees and (b) receive regular donations linked to adoptions.

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 cover five licensable activities: selling animals as pets; providing or arranging boarding for cats or dogs; hiring out horses; breeding dogs; and keeping or training animals for exhibition. Defra issues supporting statutory guidance, which furnishes practical detail on how the regulations should be applied, including in relation to the business test. Local authorities must have regard to this statutory guidance. Defra regularly engages with a range of stakeholders across the animal welfare and charity sectors, including regulatory agencies. We continue to explore opportunities to improve coordination and information sharing where appropriate.

Whether he plans to lay a new Official Statistics Order to designate the Passenger Standards Authority’s statistical outputs as official statistics.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 22nd May is attached.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with the Charity Commission on improving (a) information sharing and (b) oversight of animal rescue organisations operating at scale but outside existing statutory licensing frameworks.

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 cover five licensable activities: selling animals as pets; providing or arranging boarding for cats or dogs; hiring out horses; breeding dogs; and keeping or training animals for exhibition. Defra issues supporting statutory guidance, which furnishes practical detail on how the regulations should be applied, including in relation to the business test. Local authorities must have regard to this statutory guidance. Defra regularly engages with a range of stakeholders across the animal welfare and charity sectors, including regulatory agencies. We continue to explore opportunities to improve coordination and information sharing where appropriate.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations in relation to unlicensed animal rescue centres; and whether he plans to consult on new licensing of registration requirements.

The Department continues to engage regularly with stakeholders across the animal welfare sector, including on issues relating to rescue and rehoming practices. This Government will introduce the most ambitious plan to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department has initiated a series of meetings with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of the development of an overarching approach to animal welfare. We will be outlining more detail of plans in due course. Rescue and rehoming establishments in England must provide for the five basic welfare needs of the animals set out in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Association of Dogs and Cats Homes has developed voluntary guidance on minimum standards, but significant variation does exist. Local authorities and the police have the same powers of entry for these premises as would apply to any welfare concerns under the Animal Welfare Act.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 47834 on Data, Science and Research on Sex and Gender Independent Review, whether the Government plans to publish a formal response to each of the recommendations made by the review.

As outlined in my previous Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 47834, relevant departments and policy teams will consider the findings in light of their ongoing policy work.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to publish the findings of stakeholder engagement carried out by his Department on the potential licensing of animal rescue centres in 2023.

The Department continues to engage regularly with stakeholders across the animal welfare sector, including on issues relating to rescue and rehoming practices. This Government will introduce the most ambitious plan to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department has initiated a series of meetings with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of the development of an overarching approach to animal welfare. We will be outlining more detail of plans in due course. Rescue and rehoming establishments in England must provide for the five basic welfare needs of the animals set out in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Association of Dogs and Cats Homes has developed voluntary guidance on minimum standards, but significant variation does exist. Local authorities and the police have the same powers of entry for these premises as would apply to any welfare concerns under the Animal Welfare Act.

How many complaints the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards has received in the period since his remit was amended to allow him to initiate investigations unilaterally.

The 2024-2025 Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards Annual Report covers the exercise of the Independent Adviser’s functions for the year. This was published on 29 May 2025, and is available here.

What financial interests have been declared by Jonathan Powell.

There is an established system in place for the declaration and management of financial interests. As has been the case under successive administrations, interests deemed relevant for publication for special advisers in No10 and the Cabinet Office are published on an annual basis by the Cabinet Office.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to introducing licensing for (a) animal sanctuaries and (b) rescue and rehoming centres for (i) cats, (ii) dogs, (iii) horses and (iv) other animals.

The Department continues to engage regularly with stakeholders across the animal welfare sector, including on issues relating to rescue and rehoming practices. This Government will introduce the most ambitious plan to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department has initiated a series of meetings with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of the development of an overarching approach to animal welfare. We will be outlining more detail of plans in due course. Rescue and rehoming establishments in England must provide for the five basic welfare needs of the animals set out in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Association of Dogs and Cats Homes has developed voluntary guidance on minimum standards, but significant variation does exist. Local authorities and the police have the same powers of entry for these premises as would apply to any welfare concerns under the Animal Welfare Act.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Ofcom consultation on a proposed amendment to Rule 5.3 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code on freedom of speech.

Ofcom is required by legislation to draw up and enforce a Broadcasting Code. This Code must include rules to ensure that broadcast news is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality. Ofcom must then keep the contents of the Code under regular review. Ofcom, by law, carries out its duties independently of the Government. For this reason, it would not be appropriate for the Department to either assess the impact of, or ask Ofcom to withdraw, its present consultation addressing whether or not to amend rule 5.3; and, for the same reason, the Secretary of State has not discussed this issue with them.