Written questions by MacCleary.

Whether she plans to review the per-meal funding for schools participating in the National School Breakfast Programme.

The National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP), introduced by the last government, funds only school food standards-compliant breakfast food and delivery costs. Schools receive a 75% subsidy from the government and must themselves cover the costs of the remaining 25%. This does not go far enough to support hard-working families and tackle disadvantage.This is why the department is committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every school with primary-aged children, with schools receiving funding to cover food, delivery and staffing costs. Our new breakfast clubs are about more than the food. They provide opportunities for children to play and socialise before the start of the school day, supporting children's attendance and attainment and enabling them to thrive academically and socially.From April 2025, free breakfast clubs are available in up to 750 early adopter schools, as part of a test and learn phase. This goes far beyond the reach of the NSBP in all, and importantly, the most disadvantaged areas. The new breakfast club offer, once rolled out nationally, will be available to every state-funded school with primary-aged children.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the funding received by schools participating in the National School Breakfast Programme to provide a nutritionally balanced breakfast to each child.

The National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP), introduced by the last government, funds only school food standards-compliant breakfast food and delivery costs. Schools receive a 75% subsidy from the government and must themselves cover the costs of the remaining 25%. This does not go far enough to support hard-working families and tackle disadvantage.This is why the department is committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every school with primary-aged children, with schools receiving funding to cover food, delivery and staffing costs. Our new breakfast clubs are about more than the food. They provide opportunities for children to play and socialise before the start of the school day, supporting children's attendance and attainment and enabling them to thrive academically and socially.From April 2025, free breakfast clubs are available in up to 750 early adopter schools, as part of a test and learn phase. This goes far beyond the reach of the NSBP in all, and importantly, the most disadvantaged areas. The new breakfast club offer, once rolled out nationally, will be available to every state-funded school with primary-aged children.

Whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the system of fining parents for taking their children out of school; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this system on families from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Tackling absence is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. We are facing an absence epidemic, with one in five children persistently absent. These figures are higher for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.The ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ statutory guidance sets out that schools must consider whether support is more appropriate before deciding whether a penalty notice should be issued. A penalty notice cannot be given for authorised absence, such as those due to illness.In cases of holiday taken in term time without permission or where the parent has not engaged or support is not working, the law protects the child’s right to a full-time education. This can include the issuing of penalty notices.Where a penalty notice is considered, the national framework for penalty notices (introduced on 19 August 2024 following national consultation) is designed to improve consistency and fairness across the country. It states that penalty notices must be considered on an individual basis, preventing schools from having blanket rules. Schools or local councils may choose to issue a notice to improve instead of a penalty notice. This is a further offer of support before a penalty notice is issued.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the retention and replacement of small abattoirs in Sussex.

Defra recognises the vital contribution a thriving abattoir network plays in supporting local livestock producers and maintaining a resilient and competitive food supply chain. Defra works closely with the smaller abattoir sector including through its Small Abattoirs Working Group and Small Abattoirs Task and Finish Group. In doing so, we seek to identify and promote opportunities available to the sector and to collaborate with them on addressing any challenges and concerns it may be facing. While the Department recognises the disruption and challenges that the closure of smaller abattoirs can have on the farming community, the retention and replacement of individual abattoirs is ultimately a matter for the owners of these businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will review the regulatory framework applied to small, local abattoirs to ensure that (a) food safety is maintained, (b) animal welfare standards are supported and (c) local food supply chains are supported.

Defra continues to recognise the vital contribution a thriving abattoir network plays in supporting local livestock producers and maintaining a resilient food supply chain. The Government encourages the highest standards of meat hygiene and animal welfare at slaughter. Legislation sets out strict requirements for meat hygiene and to protect the welfare of animals when slaughtered and Official Veterinarians of the Food Standards Agency are present in all approved slaughterhouses during slaughter operations to monitor and enforce these requirements. We remain committed to working with abattoirs of all sizes across the UK’s meat processing sector, in tackling the challenges and opportunities they face.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of schools being directed to admit pupils with high levels of need without the provision of additional (a) funding and (b) support staff on (i) children’s safety and (ii) educational outcomes.

Local authorities must consult with settings before naming them in an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The setting can express concerns about being named and the local authority must consider these concerns carefully. However, if named in the plan, the setting is under a statutory duty to admit the child or young person.Teachers have a key role to play in supporting learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and there are numerous development opportunities available to help ensure that a focus on SEND is embedded across schools.All mainstream schools must also have a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO), who plays an important role in helping the development and implementation of an effective special educational needs policy and provision in the school. The school should ensure that the SENCO has sufficient time and resources to carry out these functions.Headteachers are responsible for employment in their schools, as they are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils and can make staffing decisions accordingly.When an EHC plan is issued, the local authority is statutorily required to secure the provision specified in the plan. This usually involves providing top-up funding to the setting from its high needs budget. High needs budgets will total over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, following the additional £1 billion announced at the Autumn Budget 2024.

What recent discussions she has had with East Sussex County Council on its ability to meet pupils' EHCP needs in mainstream primary schools.

The department is providing support and challenge to East Sussex to improve delivery of its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services following the most recent local area SEND inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in November 2024.This inspection found that the local area partnership’s arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. Specifically, one of the four areas for improvement was that the local area partnership should develop and embed its work with education settings on improving inclusion, so that the proportion of children and young people achieving strong outcomes increases.East Sussex are developing a strategic plan with specific actions to address all four areas for improvement. The department and NHS England will be tracking the progress that the local area makes against this plan, including through regular engagement, and will offer support as the local area’s improvement journey continues.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that schools are adequately (a) funded and (b) staffed to meet the needs of children with EHCPs in cases where the school has deemed it unsafe for the child to attend due to lack of support.

Local authorities must consult with settings before naming them in an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The setting can express concerns about being named and the local authority must consider these concerns carefully. However, if named in the plan, the setting is under a statutory duty to admit the child or young person.Teachers have a key role to play in supporting learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and there are numerous development opportunities available to help ensure that a focus on SEND is embedded across schools.All mainstream schools must also have a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO), who plays an important role in helping the development and implementation of an effective special educational needs policy and provision in the school. The school should ensure that the SENCO has sufficient time and resources to carry out these functions.Headteachers are responsible for employment in their schools, as they are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils and can make staffing decisions accordingly.When an EHC plan is issued, the local authority is statutorily required to secure the provision specified in the plan. This usually involves providing top-up funding to the setting from its high needs budget. High needs budgets will total over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, following the additional £1 billion announced at the Autumn Budget 2024.

If she will take steps to review the process by which councils allocate funding to mainstream schools to support children with EHCPs.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, following the Autumn Budget 2024. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion. Local authorities allocate this funding to schools, including for the costs of special provision in excess of £6,000 per annum for mainstream school pupils with education, health and care plans. The department provides operational guidance for local authorities to support their allocation of high needs funding, and this is reviewed prior to each financial year to which it applies. The full guidance for 2025/26 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-funding-arrangements-2025-to-2026.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44342 on UK Trade with EU: Public Consultation, what discussions he has had with the EU TCA Domestic Advisory Group on improving UK-EU trade relations; and what (a) outcomes and (b) recommendations have arisen from those discussions.

Minister for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds oversees the UK-EU relationship including the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and its Domestic Advisory Group (DAG).The Minister has met the UK TCA DAG several times, including most recently on 3 September 2024 and 29 April 2025. He also met the chair and co-chairs on 4 March 2025.The minutes and conclusions of the DAG meetings are published on https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/uk-eu-trade-and-cooperation-agreement-domestic-advisory-group

Whether he has had recent discussions with Sussex Police on their investigation into alleged medical negligence at the Royal Sussex County Hospital; and whether he has considered providing additional resources to support their inquiry.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had recent discussions with Sussex Police on their investigation and the provision of additional resources has not been considered to support them.Ministers have met with the leadership of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and are aware of the ongoing investigation. We have been reassured that the Trust and Sussex Police maintain an open and constructive working relationship, and governance frameworks are in place to safeguard patients, families, and staff.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people diagnosed with temporomandibular disorder linked to orthodontic malpractice.

Information is not held centrally on the number of people with temporomandibular disorder linked to orthodontic treatment.More widely, the Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

If he will have discussions with Cabinet colleagues on how to support individuals who develop temporomandibular disorder as a result of orthodontic treatment.

Information is not held centrally on the number of people with temporomandibular disorder linked to orthodontic treatment.More widely, the Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

What steps her Department plans to take to reduce the number of repeat missing incidents amongst children.

The Government recognises the need for an effective multi-agency response to missing person investigations and we are clear in our ambition to reduce missing incidents and safeguard those vulnerable to going missing. Missing children and adults represent a concern which spans many cross-Governmental priorities and policy areas. The Home Office is committed to working with the Department for Education and Department for Health and Social Care and other relevant departments; sending a clear message that missing needs a whole-system response.Repeat missing incidents are often a red flag for a number of the harms, such as child sexual or criminal exploitation. The Home Office is heavily invested in supporting and protecting vulnerable people, particularly children and young people from all forms of harm.The Home Office and Department for Education have been supporting the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) lead for Missing Persons in the development of a 'Missing Children from Care' framework, which has been piloted in West Yorkshire. This framework outlines good practice that can be adopted by local areas when setting up their own multi-agency protocols for the strategic and operational response to a missing incident, with an aim to ensure that the appropriate safeguarding partner responds in the best interest of the missing person.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of appointing cross-government leadership on the issue of missing persons.

The Government recognises the need for an effective multi-agency response to missing person investigations and we are clear in our ambition to reduce missing incidents and safeguard those vulnerable to going missing. Missing children and adults represent a concern which spans many cross-Governmental priorities and policy areas. The Home Office is committed to working with the Department for Education and Department for Health and Social Care and other relevant departments; sending a clear message that missing needs a whole-system response.Repeat missing incidents are often a red flag for a number of the harms, such as child sexual or criminal exploitation. The Home Office is heavily invested in supporting and protecting vulnerable people, particularly children and young people from all forms of harm.The Home Office and Department for Education have been supporting the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) lead for Missing Persons in the development of a 'Missing Children from Care' framework, which has been piloted in West Yorkshire. This framework outlines good practice that can be adopted by local areas when setting up their own multi-agency protocols for the strategic and operational response to a missing incident, with an aim to ensure that the appropriate safeguarding partner responds in the best interest of the missing person.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March to Question 37889 on High Rise Flats: Insulation, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increased insurance premiums due to cladding on the finances of leaseholders in buildings under 11 metres in height.

We do not hold information on insurance premiums for buildings under 11 metres in height. However, insurers should offer affordable premiums in line with risk, where life safety fire risk is generally proportional to the height of buildings. The department has been examining buildings under 11 metres on a case-by-case basis. To date, we have only identified a small number of under 11 metre buildings that require cladding remediation works. In the rare cases where remediation work is required, the department has engaged the relevant developers in conversations about funding these works so that leaseholders do not pay. Regardless of the height of the building, the responsibility for the costs of fixing such defects should rest with building owners, and not leaseholders.

What steps his Department is taking through the Product Safety and Metrology Bill to improve safety standards in relation to the (a) use and (b) sale of lithium-ion batteries.

The UK has some of the strongest consumer product safety laws in the world, that already requires businesses to only make safe products available on the market, including lithium-ion batteries. The powers in the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will allow us to update the regulatory framework, if we determine that is necessary to ensure the best protections for consumers. In the meantime, the Office for Product Safety and Standards, as the national regulator, is taking action to prevent unsafe products, including lithium-ion batteries, from being sold in the UK.

What recent discussions he has had with EU-based businesses on UK-EU trade relations.

The Government regularly engages with UK and EU businesses as we strengthen the UK-EU relationship. This includes engagement through formal channels such as the UK TCA Domestic Advisory Group and the Trade Strategy’s open call for input, as well as Ministerial roundtables.As part of my visit to Brussels on 26 February, I held a roundtable with EU industry representatives on improving UK-EU trade relations. On 6 March, Minister Gustafsson led a business roundtable with Irish businesses regarding bilateral trade and investment opportunities. We will continue to engage businesses ahead of the UK-EU Summit.

What steps he is taking to consult UK businesses ahead of the UK-EU May Summit.

The Government regularly engages with UK and EU businesses as we strengthen the UK-EU relationship. This includes engagement through formal channels such as the UK TCA Domestic Advisory Group and the Trade Strategy’s open call for input, as well as Ministerial roundtables.As part of my visit to Brussels on 26 February, I held a roundtable with EU industry representatives on improving UK-EU trade relations. On 6 March, Minister Gustafsson led a business roundtable with Irish businesses regarding bilateral trade and investment opportunities. We will continue to engage businesses ahead of the UK-EU Summit.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Gatwick Airport expansion on the (a) capacity and (b) reliability of the rail network serving that airport; and what steps she is taking to mitigate potential disruption to (i) passengers and (ii) local communities.

In her letter of 27 February 2025, my Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for Transport indicated that she was minded to approve the proposed development of the Gatwick Airport Northern Runway Project based on the principles of the requirements set out by the Examining Authority in its report. It is now for the applicant to respond. Both the letter and the report are published on The Planning Inspectorate’s website - https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/TR020005 .The effects of the proposed development on the rail network, its users and local communities will be taken into account in the final decision, though my Right Honourable friend will note both Network Rail and rail operators were consulted as part of the application and have not objected to the proposals. However as this remains a live planning application with the Department, I cannot comment further on those issues at the current time.