Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to allocate funding for 2019-20 from the soft drinks levy; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The 2016 Budget announced funding for a number of programmes linked to the revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. The Department of Education (DfE) will receive £575 million during the current spending review period.
The funding has been allocated to a number of programmes to support pupil health and wellbeing. In financial year 2019-20 £160 million and has been allocated to the primary physical education and school sport premium (totalling £320 million with funding from DfE and the Department of Health and Social Care) and £14 million for breakfast clubs.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Lancashire Director of Children's Services on early intervention, resourcing and identified or non-funding pressures.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Following the meeting I had with my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale and his constituents about early intervention and resourcing, my officials subsequently spoke to Lancashire County Council’s Director of Children’s Services to relay the matters discussed. I understand the Director of Children’s Services has followed up with my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale’s constituent.
Funding for children’s services is an un-ring-fenced part of the wider local government finance settlement, to give local authorities the flexibility to focus on locally determined priorities and, of course, their statutory responsibilities, including children’s social care. Over the five year period from 2015-16 to 2019-20 councils will have access to more than £200 billion to deliver the local services their communities want to see, including children’s services. In February, Parliament confirmed the 2018-19 settlement for local government, providing a real terms increase in resources available to local government - £44.3 billion in 2017-18 to £45.1 billion in 2018-19.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what reports of concern have been submitted to the Lancashire Children's Safeguarding Board on (a) Morecambe Bay Primary School and (b) West End Primary School in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The information requested is not held centrally. Safeguarding concerns are a matter for local determination and would not be routinely reported to government.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the reasons why Morecambe Bay Primary School failed to meet the threshold to retain the support of a social worker team to reduce the number of children on child protection plans to zero.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the former Skerton High School site is used for educational purposes.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has no information as to what the local council propose to do with this closed school site. Should the local council wish to use the site for non educational purposes there is legislation in place to protect against the disposal of school land used for education. The local council are required to seek the consent of the Secretary of State before disposing or changing the use of school land.
Schedule 1 to the Academies Act 2010 requires consent where any school land has been used by a maintained school within the last eight years and Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 requires consent to be obtained for school playing field land used by (or for) a maintained school within the last 10 years.
We have not received any application from Lancashire County Council seeking consent to dispose of the former Skerton High School site. Further information about the protection of school land can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-land-and-property-protection-transfer-and-disposal.