Written questions by Brown-Fuller.

What guidance her Department provides to schools and local authorities on recognising and supporting pupils with a Pathological Demand Avoidance profile when developing an Education, Health and Care Plan.

All children will benefit from a strengthened universal offer of high quality, inclusive teaching in every mainstream setting, with early identification of needs and evidence-based support as standard. On top of the universal offer, we propose that there will be three flexible layers of support for those that need it. These layers are Targeted, Targeted Plus and Specialist. These layers will be guided by the National Inclusion Standards, which will provide evidence-informed tools and strategies for identifying and supporting children’s needs, including for children with profiles of need such as Pathological Demand Avoidance. Children in early years settings, mainstream schools and colleges will benefit from access to education and support from health professionals without long waits for assessments.Children will not need a statutory education, health and care (EHC) plan to receive Targeted or Targeted Plus support, as there will be a duty on schools and funding to provide it. Settings will have a statutory duty to record and monitor special educational needs and provision in an Individual Support Plan for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.For those with complex needs, we are developing new Specialist Provision Packages (SPPs), designed with independent experts and tested with parents, and intended to each include a description of the need profile it is designed to support. SPPs will underpin the right to the educational provision set out in an EHC plan, and we propose that only those children and young people who need an SPP will have an EHC plan in future.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the VAT registration threshold on small charities that generate income through educational public engagement activities.

At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This means the majority of UK businesses are not in the VAT system at all. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption. Once an organisation’s taxable turnover exceeds £90,000, it is required to register for VAT, and VAT-registered organisations can generally reclaim the VAT they incur on their business costs. The Government takes steps elsewhere in the tax system to ensure that charities receive treatment that takes account of their unique status and invaluable contribution. Our tax regime for charities, including Gift Aid and an exemption from paying business rates, is among the most generous of anywhere in the world, with tax reliefs for charities and their donors worth just over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2024.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of fiscal drag on the number of charities expected to become liable for VAT registration over the next five years.

At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This means the majority of UK businesses are not in the VAT system at all. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption. Once an organisation’s taxable turnover exceeds £90,000, it is required to register for VAT, and VAT-registered organisations can generally reclaim the VAT they incur on their business costs. The Government takes steps elsewhere in the tax system to ensure that charities receive treatment that takes account of their unique status and invaluable contribution. Our tax regime for charities, including Gift Aid and an exemption from paying business rates, is among the most generous of anywhere in the world, with tax reliefs for charities and their donors worth just over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2024.

What guidance HM Revenue and Customs provides to charities on the classification of educational activities for the purposes of VAT exemption.

HMRC provides detailed guidance on how VAT applies to education on GOV.UK and in VAT Notice 701/30: Education and vocational training. This covers all aspects of the exemption, including services provided by charities.Additional guidance is published when significant changes are made, such as the changes to the VAT treatment of private schools. The guidance can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-on-education-and-vocational-training-notice-70130

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the impact of temporary visa status on the ability of students from Ukraine residing in the UK to gain places at UK universities.

The Ukraine Schemes reflect a generous and meaningful commitment to support those displaced by the conflict. Since the full-scale invasion began, the UK has provided sanctuary to over 310,000 Ukrainians and their family members.Those granted permission under the Ukraine Schemes wishing to commence Higher Education (HE) are eligible to apply as home-fee students but HE institutions in England are autonomous bodies and are responsible for setting their own admissions criteria. Further guidance on individual providers’ evidential requirements should be obtained from the relevant HE institution.The Government recognises the importance of providing long-term certainty for Ukrainians living in the UK beyond the lifetime of UPE. Work is underway across Government on future arrangements and a further statement setting out the long-term position, including for those in education, will be issued later this year.The Government continues to keep the Ukraine Schemes and the evolving situation in Ukraine under close and active review.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help protect hare populations in (a) West Sussex and (b) Chichester constituency.

The department has supported West Sussex County Council in preparing its Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which is expected to be published shortly. This strategy will set nature‑recovery priorities and map specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement that will support many species, such as hares.Nationally, protection of the brown hare population is provided through hare‑coursing legislation introduced under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Together with improved police tactics, intelligence, and information sharing, it is reasonable to assume that these measures are reducing levels of hare coursing, which will play a part in the recovery of the species.In addition, the Government’s recently published Animal Welfare Strategy contains a commitment to consider introducing a close season on shooting brown hares.

If he will publish the dates of all meetings with the campaign group Hillsborough Law Now, or Pete Weatherby KC, since Sunday 18 January 2026.

Ministers value a close and collaborative working relationship with Hillsborough Law Now and Pete Weatherby KC and have engaged continuously since 18 January through phone calls, messages and official meetings including on 19 January and 6 March.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing a statutory close season for the brown hare during its breeding period on levels of conservation.

The Government considers the need for a close season for hares to be justified primarily on the grounds of animal welfare. It committed to consider how to bring forward and introduce a close season for hares in England in its Animal Welfare Strategy, published in December 2025. In short, a close season should reduce the number of adult hares being shot in the breeding season, which runs from February to October, meaning that fewer leverets (infant hares) are left motherless and vulnerable to starvation and predation. A close season is also consistent with Natural England's advice on wildlife management that controlling species in their peak breeding season should be avoided unless genuinely essential and unavoidable. Defra has not made an assessment of the potential impact of introducing a statutory close season for the brown hare during its breeding period on levels of conservation. The department is aware that while some stakeholders have suggested a close season running from February to October may provide capacity for brown hare population growth, others have argued that brown hare conservation would not necessarily be accelerated by a close season.

With reference to the Government’s decision not to provide compensation following the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on changes to women’s State Pension age, whether his Department holds data that would allow it to estimate the potential cost of compensation for women affected by those changes in individual parliamentary constituencies.

The Government has made its decision on this case based on due process and careful consideration of the body of evidence. The detailed reasons for this decision have been placed in the House library.

How many pensioners living in the Chichester constituency are currently in receipt of Pension Credit.

The latest Pension Credit caseload statistics show that as of August 2025, there were 2,134 people in receipt of Pension Credit in Chichester. The latest Pension Credit caseload statistics show that as of August 2025, there were 1,437 female recipients of Pension Credit in Chichester. Using the latest Pension Credit caseload statistics, it is estimated that there were around 400 women born in the 1950s in receipt of Pension Credit in Chichester, as of August 2025. This data is available via: DWP Stat-Xplore

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of assessing the income of a parent’s cohabiting partner who is not (a) a legal parent and (b) step-parent when determining eligibility for student maintenance loans on access to higher education.

For most full-time undergraduate students under the age of 25, the Student Loans Company (SLC) assess the income of students’ parents and, where applicable, parental partners to determine household income. This ensures that the highest levels of support are targeted at students from the lowest income families.Entitlement to maintenance loans based on the income of students’ parents or, where their parents have separated, the income of the more appropriate parent (usually the parent with whom the student normally lives) and, where applicable, that of the parent’s partner.The household income assessment allows the SLC to process around 1.4 million applications for student support each year in time for the start of the relevant academic year.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in the provision of prison education on future reoffending rates.

The Ministry of Justice remains firmly committed to reducing reoffending by ensuring that prisoners can access high‑quality education, skills training and work opportunities. Rising delivery costs have impacted the level of provision that can be commissioned through the Core Education contracts, but this is one part of a much broader offer designed to support rehabilitation. Prisoners continue to benefit from a wide range of educational opportunities, including digitally enabled in‑cell learning, locally commissioned programmes, library services, higher‑level study, vocational qualifications, apprenticeships and work in prison industries. Governors retain the flexibility to commission provision that best meets the needs of their population. We will monitor delivery and outcomes through contract management and a full evaluation of the new Prisoner Education Service.

How many women born in the 1950s living in the Chichester constituency are currently in receipt of Pension Credit.

The latest Pension Credit caseload statistics show that as of August 2025, there were 2,134 people in receipt of Pension Credit in Chichester. The latest Pension Credit caseload statistics show that as of August 2025, there were 1,437 female recipients of Pension Credit in Chichester. Using the latest Pension Credit caseload statistics, it is estimated that there were around 400 women born in the 1950s in receipt of Pension Credit in Chichester, as of August 2025. This data is available via: DWP Stat-Xplore

How many women living in the Chichester constituency are currently in receipt of Pension Credit.

The latest Pension Credit caseload statistics show that as of August 2025, there were 2,134 people in receipt of Pension Credit in Chichester. The latest Pension Credit caseload statistics show that as of August 2025, there were 1,437 female recipients of Pension Credit in Chichester. Using the latest Pension Credit caseload statistics, it is estimated that there were around 400 women born in the 1950s in receipt of Pension Credit in Chichester, as of August 2025. This data is available via: DWP Stat-Xplore

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of increases in infant formula prices on families.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that infant formula prices have risen significantly in recent years, and stakeholder evidence highlighted risks such as unsafe feeding practices and food insecurity among families struggling to afford formula. It is vital that families who cannot or choose not to breastfeed have access to infant formula that is affordable and high quality.Infant formula regulations set robust nutritional and compositional standards, which means that all infant formulas for sale in the United Kingdom are suitable for meeting the nutritional requirements of babies, regardless of price or brand. These regulations do not control or set the price of infant formula.In December 2025, the four governments of the UK published their joint response to the CMA’s market study on the infant and follow-on formula market, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infant-formula-government-response-to-cma-market-studyThis sets out a package of measures that will help give parents and carers the confidence to choose lower priced products, encourage manufacturers and retailers to compete more on price, and remove unnecessary barriers to affordability. Switching from the most expensive product to the cheapest could save up to £540 over the first year of an infant’s life.Measures include providing greater clarity on when and how vouchers, gift cards, and loyalty or reward schemes can be used to buy infant formula, and updated guidance on this point will be published shortly.Other measures to support families include the Government’s Healthy Start Scheme, which aims to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. In April 2026 we will increase the value of Healthy Start weekly payments by 10% to £4.65, from £4.25, for pregnant women and children over one and under four years old, and to £9.30, from £8.50, for children under one years old. This will boost support for those families who need it the most. Healthy Start funding can be used to buy, or be put towards, the cost of fruit, vegetables, milk, and infant formula.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of workforce retention at Royal Mail on recent delivery performance.

I have been clear that Royal Mail’s recent delivery performance has not been good enough. Workforce retention plays an important role in quality of service, as Royal Mail has said itself in the past in response to Ofcom investigations.I met Ofcom on 11 March and raised concerns about Royal Mail’s quality of service. Ofcom is explicit that Royal Mail must publish and deliver a credible improvement plan that results in significant and continuous progress. Royal Mail has committed to do so as soon as possible after its discussions with the Communication Workers’ Union conclude.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing temporary emergency price controls on retail petrol and diesel prices.

The Government and the CMA are closely monitoring petrol and diesel prices in light of instability in the Middle East, while the CMA are considering what options they have available if there is evidence of unfair practices. The government are also engaging regularly with refiners, importers and distributors to ensure any emerging risks are identified and managed promptly. Households should be reassured the UK benefits from strong and diverse security of energy supplies, and there are no issues with fuel supply.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to policy HC6 in the National Planning Policy Framework on the number of public houses at risk of conversion or demolition.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 105500 on 20 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to policy HC6 in the National Planning Policy Framework on planning protections for public houses in areas where more than one pub exists.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 105500 on 20 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to limit speculative planning applications for sites that have been deemed unsuitable for development by the Planning Inspectorate.

Local planning authorities have the power to decline to determine applications if planning permission has been refused for two or more substantially similar applications on the same site within the past two years. This includes any appeals dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate.