Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Damian Hinds and Ruth Cadbury

Monday 24th June 2019 Commons Chamber

[Damian Hinds]

My hon. Friend is exactly right. According to the most recent OECD “Education at a Glance” report, published in 2015, the UK’s spending as a proportion of national income was the highest in the G7.

[Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)]

T6. Hounslow schools and families welcomed the reforms for children with special educational needs and disabilities in the Children and Families Act 2014, but as a result of those reforms, as well as the increase in the number of children in our schools, the number of children in the borough with education, health and care plans has doubled. The funding to ensure that children get the most from our excellent education services is not adequate, and there will be a £6 million shortfall in the high needs block next year. Will the Minister meet me, along with my hon. Friend the Member for Feltham and Heston (Seema Malhotra) and Hounslow headteachers, to discuss the implications of the funding gap?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Damian Hinds and Ruth Cadbury

Monday 10th September 2018 Commons Chamber

[Damian Hinds]

You are very kind, Chris.

There are many different angles to our social mobility approach. As I mentioned in my opening answer, our focus on social mobility means that, at every phase of education, we have seen a narrowing in the attainment gap between the rich and the poor of at least 10%—in early years, in primary school, in secondary school and in entry to higher education. It is our school professionals, our teachers and other staff who have made that happen, supported by our reforms, by the fact that more children are going to good and outstanding schools, by the free schools programme and by the availability of quality new places and rigorous standards in schools.

[Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)]

6. What assessment he has made of the effect of the teachers’ recent pay award on the financial sustainability of school budgets.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Damian Hinds and Ruth Cadbury

Monday 9th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Damian Hinds]

It would be wrong to pause the roll-out, because that would mean fewer people would have the benefit of universal credit, more people would be stuck on 16-hour jobs and fewer people would be able to claim the higher rate of childcare reimbursement. Universal credit is working; we know that people are getting into work quicker and that, once they are there, they can see clearly that working more will always pay.

[Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)]

15. If he will take steps to ensure that people applying for personal independence payments are seen by a specialist at their initial assessment.