Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding allocated to helping students with the cost of living.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year which have impacted students.
The government reviews the support provided to cover students’ living costs on an annual basis. Decisions on student finance will have to be taken alongside other spending priorities to ensure that the system remains financially sustainable, and that the costs of higher education are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.
To help students who need further support we have made an additional £15 million available increasing our student premium funding to £276 million this academic year. This extra funding will act in addition to the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship, and hardship support schemes. The department works with the Office for Students to ensure universities support students using both hardship funds and drawing on the student premium.
All households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.
The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding will provide £400 support to those households without a direct relationship to a domestic electricity supplier in England, Scotland, and Wales, who have faced increased energy bill costs since 1 October 2022. This will include students in privately rented accommodation, where they receive their energy from an intermediary (such as a landlord or letting agency) who holds a commercial electricity contract.
The Energy Prices Act passed on 25 October 2022 includes the provision which requires landlords to pass any benefits they receive from energy price support onto end users, as appropriate.
Tenants should not need to take action to receive this benefit as the obligation is on intermediaries, such as landlords, to pass through the benefit and provide the information necessary to do so. If a student believes this obligation has not been met, they are advised to contact their landlord, or, intermediary to resolve this in the first instance. Within the regulations, there is also scope to pursue enforcement through civil proceedings.
Further guidance on the pass-through requirement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-provided-to-intermediaries/guidance-on-the-pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-in-great-britain-provided-to-intermediaries. Students in purpose-built student accommodation are not eligible to receive support under the scheme, as with fixed rental fees set ahead of the academic year, they have not been exposed to unexpectedly higher energy bill costs this Winter.
For students living in university, or private halls, businesses, including those that provide student accommodation, are covered by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which provides energy bill relief for non-domestic customers in Great Britain.
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers, including universities and private purpose-built student accommodation providers, are protected from high energy bills this winter.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to help tackle gender stereotypes in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
All schools are required to teach the subjects of relationships education for primary aged pupils, and relationships and sex education for secondary aged pupils. The statutory guidance for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) emphasises that schools should be aware of issues such as sexism, misogyny, homophobia and gender stereotypes. Schools should take positive action to build a culture where these are not tolerated, and any occurrences are identified and tackled swiftly. The statutory RSHE guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
Under the topic of respectful relationships, the guidance sets out that pupils should be taught the characteristics of positive friendships, and how stereotypes, including stereotypes based on gender, can damage relationships or encourage prejudice.
To help schools to teach the RSHE curriculum the Department has published a range of online teacher training modules, including Respectful Relationships and Being Safe. The modules can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2022 to Question 37614 on Schools: Buildings, which schools in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency had at least one construction element in (a) condition grade C and (b) condition grade D, when that data was collated; and which of those schools (i) have already received funding from the School Rebuilding Programme and (ii) are expected to receive funding from the School Rebuilding Programme in the next two years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Condition Data Collection (CDC) is one of the largest and most comprehensive data collection programmes in the UK’s public sector. It collected data on the building condition of government funded schools in England. It provides a robust evidence base to enable the Department to target capital funding for maintaining and rebuilding school buildings.
The key, high level findings of the CDC programme were published in May 2021 in the ‘Condition of School Buildings Survey: Key Findings’ report. This is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.
Individual CDC reports have been shared with every school and their responsible body to use alongside their existing condition surveys to plan maintenance schedules and investment plans. The Department plans to publish detailed school level CDC data. The Department is still preparing the data and will publish it as soon as possible.
Well maintained, safe school buildings are a priority for the Department. Our funding is directed both to maintaining the condition of the school estate and rebuilding schools. The Department has allocated over £13 billion for improving the condition of schools since 2015, including £1.8 billion committed this financial year.
The ten year School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) is condition led. 400 of the 500 available places on the programme have been provisionally allocated. A list of these schools and the methodology used to select them is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme.
The following table shows the constituencies specified that have schools or colleges selected for the SRP:
Parliamentary constituency | Schools selected for SRP |
Dover |
|
Erewash |
|
Filton and Bradley Stoke |
|
Gloucester |
|
Gravesham |
|
Hendon |
|
High Peak |
|
Keighley |
|
Kensington |
|
Leigh |
|
Lincoln |
|
Loughborough |
|
Lancaster and Fleetwood |
|
The 239 schools announced in December 2022 will enter delivery at a rate of approximately 50 per year, over a five year period from 2023. The Department is currently undertaking due diligence on these schools prior to scheduling them, with schools prioritised according to the condition of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. The scope and funding for each project will be confirmed following detailed feasibility studies and condition surveys of buildings.
Where a school identifies significant safety issues with a building, that cannot be managed within local resources, the Department considers additional support on a case-by-case basis. This includes applications for Urgent Capital Support (UCS) from eligible institutions. Schools eligible for Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) can apply for UCS where there are urgent health and safety issues that threaten school closure and cannot wait until the next CIF bidding round.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many requests for education, health and care plans were (a) made by parents and (b) signed off by Lancashire County Council for students in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency in the last 12 months.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The requested information is not held by the department.
Data on the number of requests for education, health and care (EHC) plans and the number of plans issued is collected by local authorities only, and does not include breakdowns relating to whom made the request.
The number of initial requests for an EHC plan and the number issued in Lancashire County Council can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/6ac81db3-d5d3-4258-2be7-08dab0fa305d.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) nurseries and (b) other early years childcare settings which have closed in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the affordability of childcare provision in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
One of the signs of a healthy and competitive market is that childcare providers may enter and exit it. The key measure of market health monitored by the department is whether local authorities believe that the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children in their area, rather than whether changes occur in the number and type of providers.
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. The parliamentary constituency of Lancaster and Fleetwood is in the local authority of Lancashire. At present, all local authorities, including Lancashire, report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.
The department continues to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use the government-funded support that they are entitled to. We collect data on the main characteristics of childcare and early years provision in England and fees data can be broken down to local authority level.
The latest data shows that the mean hourly fee band for Lancashire local authority is £4.50 for 2-year-olds and £4.75 for 3 and 4-year-olds.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of childcare provision in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
One of the signs of a healthy and competitive market is that childcare providers may enter and exit it. The key measure of market health monitored by the department is whether local authorities believe that the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children in their area, rather than whether changes occur in the number and type of providers.
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. The parliamentary constituency of Lancaster and Fleetwood is in the local authority of Lancashire. At present, all local authorities, including Lancashire, report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.
The department continues to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use the government-funded support that they are entitled to. We collect data on the main characteristics of childcare and early years provision in England and fees data can be broken down to local authority level.
The latest data shows that the mean hourly fee band for Lancashire local authority is £4.50 for 2-year-olds and £4.75 for 3 and 4-year-olds.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the resilience of childcare providers in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
One of the signs of a healthy and competitive market is that childcare providers may enter and exit it. The key measure of market health monitored by the department is whether local authorities believe that the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children in their area, rather than whether changes occur in the number and type of providers.
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. The parliamentary constituency of Lancaster and Fleetwood is in the local authority of Lancashire. At present, all local authorities, including Lancashire, report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.
The department continues to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use the government-funded support that they are entitled to. We collect data on the main characteristics of childcare and early years provision in England and fees data can be broken down to local authority level.
The latest data shows that the mean hourly fee band for Lancashire local authority is £4.50 for 2-year-olds and £4.75 for 3 and 4-year-olds.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an estimate of the capital cost of tackling outstanding repairs to schools in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.
Answered by Jonathan Gullis
The Department plans to publish modelled remediation costs to bring schools back into good condition based on data collected in the Condition Data Collection programme (CDC) by the end of the year. This will include total modelled remediation costs for the schools in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.
The key, high-level findings of the CDC programme, were published in May 2021 and the findings can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the level of institutional racism in UK universities.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
Any form of racism is abhorrent and unacceptable anywhere, including in higher education (HE). HE providers are autonomous institutions with clear responsibilities. Under the Equality Act 2010, they should have robust policies and procedures in place to comply with the law in investigating and swiftly addressing reports of racism.
The department is clear that HE providers should be proactive in confronting and preventing racism, ensuring campuses are safe, welcoming environments for students of all races and backgrounds, and empowering those students to feel confident in reporting issues. The 2020 Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report found that most students from ethnic minority groups do relatively well in accessing and completing HE.
However, the department continues to work with universities, sector organisations, student organisations, and the regulator to drive racism out of HE institutions.
The Office for Students (OfS) has published data showing that black students are less likely than white students to achieve a first or 2.1 degree. The department notes that the OfS will be tracking this further as part of its range of new performance indicators.
The department is in regular contact with other government departments, such as the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, to align activity and ensure effective practice in prevention and victim support is shared widely.