Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of employees in their Department are paid the National Minimum Wage.
Answered by Nick Gibb
All employees in the Department are paid above the National Minimum Wage.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what human resources information their Department shares with trade unions on a regular basis.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department does not have a prescribed set of data shared with the Departmental Trade Union Side (DTUS) on a regular basis. Instead, the Department shares data which is relevant to the areas being discussed each month or ad hoc requests from DTUS.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support is available to students across the UK to provide assistance with the cost of living crisis.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
Education is a devolved matter and so financial support with the cost of living for students in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be the responsibility of the devolved governments.
The Energy Price Guarantee announced on 8 September will save the average household at least £1,000 a year based on current energy prices from October and this is in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.
To support disadvantaged students and those who need additional help in higher education in England, we have confirmed in our guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2022/23 financial year that universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through their own hardship funds and the student premium, for which up to £261 million is available for academic year 2022/23.
The government has also worked closely with the OfS to clarify that English providers can draw upon this funding now, to provide hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by cost of living pressures.
Maximum grants and loans for living costs for England-domiciled students have also increased by 2.3% in the 2022/23 academic year. Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the tax year 2022/23 has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.
In addition, maximum tuition fees, and the subsidised loans available from the department to pay them, remain at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year in respect of standard full-time courses. We are also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years. As well as reducing debt levels for students, the continued fee freeze will help to ensure that the English Higher Education system remains sustainable while also promoting greater efficiency at providers.
16 to 19-year-old students in England who need help with the costs of participating in education can receive help from the 16-19 Bursary Fund. Over £133 million was allocated to colleges, school sixth forms and other providers to make discretionary bursaries available to young people in the academic year 2021/22 and more will be available in allocations for 2022/23.
We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), inculding £1.34 billion in 2022/23. The AEB also funds colleges and training providers to help adult learners to overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part in learning. This includes Learner Support, to support learners with a specific financial hardship.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with devolved Administrations on providing additional support for (a) school and (b) higher education students to help meet increases in the cost of living.
Answered by Robin Walker
Education policy is devolved, and so cost of living issues for institutions is the responsibility of the devolved administrations. Ministers in the department meet regularly with their devolved counterparts and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, is looking forward to attending the next meeting of education ministers from across the UK in Edinburgh next week.
The department secured an excellent settlement for England in the Spending Review, and so this will be reflected in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through the Barnett Formula.
It is for devolved administrations to determine how to spend this generous settlement, but in England we have carefully budgeted for a range of policies that will help universities, schools, their staff, and families which will help to meet the challenges in the cost of living right now. This includes our very successful Holiday Activities and Food scheme, National Tutoring Programme, and of course a huge increase in core school funding that means schools are better placed to cover cost increases.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in his Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by his Department as of 21 February 2022.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The department is not mandating individual risk assessments for all employees. Instead, we are encouraging line managers and employees to have discussions regarding returning to the workplace, with consideration for individual risk assessments where deemed necessary by either the line manager and/or the employee.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what records his Department keeps relating to staff working times under Regulation 9 of the Working Time Regulations 1998; and how long those records are kept for.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The department does not centrally monitor working hours for any employee but requires all employees, regardless of work location, to keep an accurate record of the hours they work. This must be retained by the employee for 3 years and will be reviewed by their line manager on a regular basis.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many members of House staff by department have (a) tested positive and (b) been hospitalised for covid-19; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Pete Wishart
Testing is available to all staff of the House who are symptomatic, and is arranged directly by the individual. Results therefore are a matter for the individual only, alongside whether any hospital treatment is needed. The records held by the House will only indicate whether the member of staff is available for work or not.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will ensure that a full return to Parliament during the covid-19 outbreak will only take place after discussion with the Health and Safety Executive; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Pete Wishart
The Head of Parliamentary Safety has discussed with the Health and Safety Executive the key risks and control measures to allow everybody to work safely on the parliamentary estate during the Coronavirus outbreak. The Health and Safety Executive are content that the House administration is working to ensure Parliamentary business can continue, whilst meeting the Government guidelines to become “COVID-19 safe”. Regular discussions between the Head of Parliamentary Safety and the Health and Safety Executive will continue during the outbreak.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children in receipt of free school meals have been fed through (a) the national voucher scheme, (b) school collection and distribution models and (c) other means since school closures due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Vicky Ford
As education is a devolved matter, this answer refers to free school meals in England only.
It is critically important that eligible children continue to receive benefits-related free school meals during this period. We have published guidance for schools explaining what they should do to make sure that eligible pupils have continued access to this provision, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.
As of 28 April our supplier, Edenred, reported that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme and as of Monday 4 May, Edenred has reported that over £47 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme. We do not collect data at pupil level. The department does not hold information on the number of children that have been fed via school collection and distribution models or other means since school closures.
The department does not hold data regarding how many children have become eligible for free school meals since the school closures. This information will be collected as part of the school census. Schools and local authorities should continue to accept free school meal applications during the closures to ensure that newly eligible children are able to receive meals they are entitled to.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have become eligible for free school meals since school closures as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Vicky Ford
As education is a devolved matter, this answer refers to free school meals in England only.
It is critically important that eligible children continue to receive benefits-related free school meals during this period. We have published guidance for schools explaining what they should do to make sure that eligible pupils have continued access to this provision, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.
As of 28 April our supplier, Edenred, reported that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme and as of Monday 4 May, Edenred has reported that over £47 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme. We do not collect data at pupil level. The department does not hold information on the number of children that have been fed via school collection and distribution models or other means since school closures.
The department does not hold data regarding how many children have become eligible for free school meals since the school closures. This information will be collected as part of the school census. Schools and local authorities should continue to accept free school meal applications during the closures to ensure that newly eligible children are able to receive meals they are entitled to.