Written questions by Trott.

Whether Kent’s Communities of Schools model complies with her Department's guidance.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of new metro rolling stock for the southeastern network on performance and costs.

Awaiting answer.

Whether school children who have been in a classroom, dining hall, shared areas with someone who now has confirmed meningitis are being offered a)antibiotics b)vaccinations.

Children and young people, including those identified as contacts of cases, can and should continue to attend school or college as normal, including sitting exams and qualifications, unless directly advised otherwise by the local health protection team.Meningococcal disease does not spread easily, and outbreaks of the size seen in Kent are rare. Transmission of meningococcal disease requires close and prolonged contact to spread, including living in the same household, and intimate contact such as kissing or sharing vapes.A targeted programme of preventative antibiotics and meningitis B vaccination has been introduced to provide longer-term protection for students and young people in the area. Vaccination has been offered to all those who have received preventative antibiotics, and to year 11, 12 and 13 students in schools and colleges in Kent where confirmed or probable cases have been identified. Widening the vaccine offer is a precautionary measure to ensure longer-term protection whilst helping to minimise disruption to school attendance at a critical time in the academic year.

What steps her department is taking to ensure pupils, particularly those with imminent exams, can continue to attend schools safely in the context of the meningitis outbreak.

Children and young people, including those identified as contacts of cases, can and should continue to attend school or college as normal, including sitting exams and qualifications, unless directly advised otherwise by the local health protection team.Meningococcal disease does not spread easily, and outbreaks of the size seen in Kent are rare. Transmission of meningococcal disease requires close and prolonged contact to spread, including living in the same household, and intimate contact such as kissing or sharing vapes.A targeted programme of preventative antibiotics and meningitis B vaccination has been introduced to provide longer-term protection for students and young people in the area. Vaccination has been offered to all those who have received preventative antibiotics, and to year 11, 12 and 13 students in schools and colleges in Kent where confirmed or probable cases have been identified. Widening the vaccine offer is a precautionary measure to ensure longer-term protection whilst helping to minimise disruption to school attendance at a critical time in the academic year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 108298, when she estimates to complete their work on producing robust repayment figures broken down by British citizen status.

The department and the Student Loans Company (SLC) have strengthened the quality and consistency of the data in this area and now hold reliable information on borrowers’ citizenship status, nationality and residency category.However, eligibility for student finance is complex, not dependent on nationality and not determined solely by immigration status. We will continue to work with SLC and look at any further data improvements that may provide additional insights.

Whether the £3.5 billion funding announced in the White Paper entitled Every child achieving and thriving, published 23 February 2026, is additional funding beyond that announced at the Spending Review.

I refer the right hon. Member for Sevenoaks to the answer of 7 April 2026 to Question HL14880 and HL14881.

Whether the £4bn announced in her Department's policy paper entitled Every child achieving and thriving, published on 23 February 2026, is from her Department’s existing spending envelope.

I refer the right hon. Member for Sevenoaks to the answer of 7 April 2026 to Question HL14880 and HL14881.

How many deaths involving refuse collection vehicles have been recorded in each of the last five years.

Deaths in reported road collisions, on public roads (including footways) in Great Britian are based on data supplied to the Department by police forces via a collection known as STATS19. The latest figures available are for 2024, and figures for the last 5 years are shown in the table. YearDeaths in collisions involving a refuse collection vehicle2020620216202262023220244 Collisions on private roads or car parks are not included in the statistics.

Whether he plans to provide compensation for civil servants impacted by administrative failures in the civil service pension scheme.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in accessing their pensions are unacceptable. Our full focus is on stabilising the service and supporting any members experiencing hardship. We will conduct a full review once this has been achieved. In prioritising the most urgent cases, Capita has committed to all outstanding death-in-service and ill-health retirement cases to be either in payment, or haveundertaken all activity possible whilst waiting for the member to respond, with the vast majority of these having been paid in February. No former civil servant should be facing financial hardship as a result of delays to their pension. We are putting in place interest-free bridging loans of up to £5,000 (and up to £10,000 in exceptional cases) to recent retirees facing payment delays. These loans are to be repaid and will be met from existing departmental settlements. Additionally, interest will be paid on delayed benefits to avoid financial loss by members. Furthermore, all member complaints regarding the transition are being handled in accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman.

What the respective responsibilities of MyCSP and Capita are for administrative failures in the civil service pension scheme; and what steps he is taking to hold them to account.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in accessing their pensions are unacceptable. Our full focus is on stabilising the service and supporting any members experiencing hardship. We will conduct a full review once this has been achieved. In prioritising the most urgent cases, Capita has committed to all outstanding death-in-service and ill-health retirement cases to be either in payment, or haveundertaken all activity possible whilst waiting for the member to respond, with the vast majority of these having been paid in February. No former civil servant should be facing financial hardship as a result of delays to their pension. We are putting in place interest-free bridging loans of up to £5,000 (and up to £10,000 in exceptional cases) to recent retirees facing payment delays. These loans are to be repaid and will be met from existing departmental settlements. Additionally, interest will be paid on delayed benefits to avoid financial loss by members. Furthermore, all member complaints regarding the transition are being handled in accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman.

Pursuant to Answer of 14 January 2026 to Question 104334, how many students with settled status obtained a student loan in 2024-25; and how much was spent on repaying these loans in the same time period.

The department is not able to provide the requested data on settled status in the required timescale.Settled status is a residency category, which is data held by the Student Loans Company (SLC).However, changes in the application process over time, including the transition to electronic applications and introduction of new products, systems and processes in line with the legislation, mean that data held for earlier cohorts is held differently across multiple SLC systems.As a result, it is not currently possible to produce robust settled status data within the required timescales. The department and the SLC are undertaking work to improve the quality and consistency of data provided.Once this work is complete, the department expects to be able to provide information in response to such questions.

Innovation and Technology, when his Department will launch its consultation on children's social media use.

The government’s consultation on the children’s use of technology and social media will be launched in the coming weeks. This will be a short, swift consultation of three months, with the government planning to respond in the summer.The consultation will be backed by a national conversation about the impact of technology on children’s wellbeing. Ministers are already hearing the views of parents, children and civil society through nationwide events.

Whether RSL levels will continue once V-Levels are introduced in September 2027.

The department has recently closed the consultation on Post-16 Level 3 and Below Pathways. We are carefully considering transition arrangements to reach the new qualifications landscape set out in the Post-16 Skills White Paper, and will set out plans in due course.

Whether a student with settled status, who has lived in the UK for three years, can obtain a student loan.

Eligibility for student finance is determined by several criteria, including residency status, the type of course, its location, the student’s previous study history, and whether they already hold a higher education qualification. Students residing in England who hold settled status and have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for the three years preceding the first day of the first academic year of their course will be eligible for student finance, subject to meeting all other eligibility criteria. To qualify, this period of residence must not have been wholly or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the funding that mainstream primary schools with SEN Units receive to fund their free breakfast club.

The department selected schools, including those with special educational needs units, for the early adopter (EA) scheme to ensure that there is a range of participating schools operating within different contexts and from diverse starting points.The EA ‘test and learn’ phase has been crucial to informing the national rollout of free breakfast clubs. Through consultation with EAs, we have heard from the sector about what schools and trusts need to do to ensure free breakfast clubs effectively support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). EA funding was designed to take account of the numbers of children with additional needs in different schools. However, we heard from EAs that the way funding was allocated did not always align with the number of children attending a club who may need additional support and was therefore not working as effectively as possible for some EA schools. In line with our ‘test and learn’ approach, we have therefore changed the funding rate and allocations for mainstream schools on the programme for national rollout so that the funding better enables all schools to meet the needs of children who attend, including children with SEND. These changes simplify the funding rate and mean schools will receive more money, at a rate of £25 per day, plus £1 per child per day. Schools have the autonomy to spend this funding according to how it best fits their needs.

What steps she is taking to ensure that funding being provided for secondary schools on the National School Breakfast Programme in the 2026/2027 academic year is used as effectively as possible.

From September 2026, participating national school breakfast programme schools with secondary-aged pupils will continue to be supported to an equivalent value of what they currently receive on the national school breakfast programme. Further details and guidance for eligible schools will be published in the spring term.

How many complaints has OIA received from disabled students in each of the last 5 years, what proportion were upheld, and how many reasonable adjustments were made during complaint processes.

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator is independent from government, and the department does not hold the requested information.

How many OIA settlements have been reported as breached to Office for Students in each of the last 5 years, and what enforcement action was taken in each case.

The Office for Students (OfS) and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) are independent from government, and we do not hold details on information shared between the two bodies.The OfS’ registration condition C2 states that registered providers ‘must cooperate with the requirements of the student complaints scheme run by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, including the subscription requirements’, but it does not have the power to enforce compliance with the OIA’s recommendations.Where a provider does not comply with the OIA’s recommendations, and the OIA believes this may indicate systemic issues with the provider, the OIA may share this information with the OfS or other relevant bodies.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to support parents to manage children's levels of screen time.

Parents and carers play a vital role in online safety.The UK Chief Medical Officer’s 2019 commentary on screen-based activities included advice for parents and carers on agreeing boundaries with children and young people on time spent using screens outside school and in education.Ofcom has also released guidance for parents on how the Act’s measures will protect children online, including links to trusted resources.Finally, many services have their own parental controls, which are useful for managing children’s screentime. To help families further navigate children’s online use, DSIT and DfE are developing a website to bring information about online safety into one place.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of using evidence-based parenting programmes, like Triple P and Incredible Years, to ensure more families receive more support to manage their children’s online activities.

As part of our ‘Giving every child the best start in life’ strategy, the department is investing in evidence-based parenting and home learning environment interventions delivered through Best Start Family Hubs. These interventions are designed to strengthen children’s social, emotional and behavioural wellbeing and promote positive parent-child interactions, encouraging families to chat, play and read together. They help parents create balanced routines that may include using screens as a tool for learning while also supporting activities away from screens, fostering healthy habits and strong relationships. The department is working in partnership with the National Centre for Family Hubs, the Foundations - What Works Centre for Children & Families, and Nesta to ensure local areas can identify and implement the most effective programmes. This approach will promote greater consistency and quality across the country and support our ambition for 75% of children to achieve a good level of development by 2028. Protecting children online is a priority, and we will continue to build the evidence base on the impact of screen time on children and listen to parents, children and schools to help us improve our guidance and our understanding of emerging needs and gaps.