6 APPG memberships (as of 8 Apr 2024)
Cycling and Walking, Cyprus, Equitable Life Policyholders, Human Rights, Motorcycling, Transport Safety22 Former APPG memberships
Bridge, British Council, Community Development in Europe, Croatia, Cycling, Diabetes, Education, Equitable Life, Faroe Islands, Hospice and Palliative Care, Iceland, Iran, Japan, Kurdistan Region in Iraq, Latin America, Liechtenstein, Morocco, Night Time Economy, Pitcairn Islands, Thalassaemia, Tibet, TurkeyDivision Voting information
Debates during the 2019 Parliament
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Sparring Partners
(12 debate interactions)
(8 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(79 debate contributions)
(8 debate contributions)
(6 debate contributions)
(5 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
Fabian Hamilton has not made any spoken contributions to legislative debateLeeds North East Petitions
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
of 9,651 signatures (1.53%)
of 13,070 signatures (1.52%)
of 12,209 signatures (1.30%)
of 31,606 signatures (1.14%)
of 18,692 signatures (0.66%)
of 31,606 signatures (1.14%)
of 13,070 signatures (1.52%)
of 203,222 signatures (0.10%)
of 12,209 signatures (1.30%)
of 45,824 signatures (0.33%)
Latest EDMs signed by Fabian Hamilton
Office of National Statistics and mandatory attendance at workplaces
Tabled by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)That this House expresses support and solidarity with the 1,200 Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) union members working for the Office of National Statistics (ONS) in Newport, Titchfield, London, Darlington, Manchester and Edinburgh who are currently balloting for industrial action over mandatory attendance at workplaces; notes that there was …
(Most recent: 19 Apr 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 21
Scottish National Party: 6
Independent: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Green Party: 1
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
Tabled by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)That this House acknowledges that November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month; recognises that survival rates in the UK still lag behind much of the rest of Europe and the World; notes that pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect and that diagnosis takes too long with slow processes and multiple tests …
(Most recent: 26 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 26
Independent: 6
Liberal Democrat: 6
Democratic Unionist Party: 5
Scottish National Party: 3
Plaid Cymru: 3
Conservative: 2
Green Party: 1
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 1
Alliance: 1
Commons initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Fabian Hamilton, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
1 Urgent Question tabled by Fabian Hamilton
Fabian Hamilton has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
1 Bill introduced by Fabian Hamilton
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require the person registering a marriage or civil partnership to attest the valid consent of both parties to the marriage or civil partnership before it is solemnized; and for connected purposes.
1 Bill co-sponsored by Fabian Hamilton
Public Sector Websites (Data Charges) Bill 2023-24
Sponsor - Simon Lightwood (LAB)
Latest 50 Written Questions
(View all written questions)1 Other Department Questions
Throughout the UK’s Presidency I have engaged with all parties, including my Caribbean counterparts, on the issue of loss and damage. During my time in New York this September, in the margins of UNGA, I engaged with the High Ambition Coalition. Addressing loss and damage will continue to be a priority for the UK Presidency in the run up to and at COP27.
COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Government published the UK Biological Security Strategy on 12 June 2023. Our vision is that, by 2030, the UK is resilient to a spectrum of biological threats, and is a world leader in responsible innovation, shaping international norms and standards to help improve our lives and the health of the planet. Government departments will work together towards this.
The Government will also continue to use the UK’s wider international influence to encourage appropriate biosafety and biosecurity regulations, including through the International Tech Strategy. This will aim to drive global technical standards, sector-specific regulations and conventions for the safe and reliable uptake and commercialisation of engineering biology.
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF) will expand upon the existing Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), including its work on Gender, Peace and Security. The new Fund will have a wider remit, funding projects both at home and overseas to tackle some of the most complex national security challenges facing the UK and its partners. It will also bring into scope some key existing programmes, such as the National Cyber Programme. Importantly this change from the CSSF is designed to ensure broader long-term integration of cross-government National Security efforts. Combining additional funding from other programming, the UKISF will have a budget of almost £1 billion, to help keep the UK safe.
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF) will expand upon the existing Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), including its work on Gender, Peace and Security. The new Fund will have a wider remit, funding projects both at home and overseas to tackle some of the most complex national security challenges facing the UK and its partners. It will also bring into scope some key existing programmes, such as the National Cyber Programme. Importantly this change from the CSSF is designed to ensure broader long-term integration of cross-government National Security efforts. Combining additional funding from other programming, the UKISF will have a budget of almost £1 billion, to help keep the UK safe.
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Regulations require contracting authorities to exclude bidders where they have established by verification or are otherwise aware that the bidder has been convicted of certain offences. These include offences related to participation in a criminal organisation, corruption, fraud, terrorist offences, money laundering or terrorist financing, and child labour and other forms of trafficking in human beings. These requirements apply both to convictions in the UK and equivalent convictions overseas. In certain circumstances, civil matters may be relevant to the discretionary exclusion grounds, for example, grave professional misconduct which renders the supplier’s integrity questionable.
The Cabinet Office published in Procurement Policy Note 05/19 comprehensive commercial policy and guidance to identify and tackle modern slavery and labour abuse risks throughout the commercial life cycle. This advocates a risk based approach and applies to central government, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Other public sector contracting authorities may wish to apply the approach set out in this PPN.
This is being updated to strengthen the guidance on using the existing grounds in the Public Contracts Regulations for excluding suppliers and will set out enhanced due diligence activities. This will be published in due course.
The Government takes consumer protection very seriously and is concerned about the frequency of fires linked to lithium-ion batteries found in e-bikes and e-scooters. Products must be safe before being placed on the UK market.
Working across Government we are taking action against unsafe products and have issued guidance on the safe use of these products. We are also seeking to better understand the root causes of these incidents and have commissioned research from the Warwick Manufacturing Group (part of Warwick University).
This research will help inform the position moving forward including the interaction between batteries and chargers, and the suitability of third-party conformity assessment to tackle this complex issue.
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the challenges posed by cost-of-living pressures, including the impact of energy bills, and is already providing extensive financial support to households. This includes a package of support to assist households and individuals with rising costs of living that will total over £104 billion, or £3,700 per household on average, over 2022-2025.
We support those most in need with millions of vulnerable households receiving up to £900 in further Cost of Living Payments. These payments are in addition to established financial support which is available for low income and vulnerable households this winter through the Winter Fuel Payment and the Cold Weather Payment which provides £25 during very cold weather. An extra cost of living payment is being paid to pensioner households worth up to £300 through the Winter Fuel Payment, meaning eligible individuals will receive between £250 - £600.
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings. Additionally, £6 billion of new Government funding will be made available from 2025 to 2028.
The Government ‘Help to Heat’ schemes ensure homes will be warmer and cheaper to heat. The Government will deliver upgrades to over half a million homes in the coming years through Social Housing Decarbonisation, Home Upgrade Grant and Energy Company Obligation Schemes.
Constituents in Leeds North-East can check their eligibility for schemes on www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency or through the home retrofit phoneline service on 0800 098 7950.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is continuing to provide targeted support for vulnerable households as prices come down. In 2023-24 the Government is already providing additional cost of living payments of up to £900 to households on means-tested benefits, £300 to pensioner households, and £150 to those on eligible disability benefits.
This is alongside existing and ongoing energy bills support for the most vulnerable that includes the:
- Warm Home Discount providing a £150 rebate on electricity bills for up to three million households in most need this winter;
- Winter Fuel Payment, worth between £250 - £600;
- Cold Weather Payment, a £25 payment for vulnerable households on qualifying benefits, is also available to help with the cost of bills when the weather is or expected to be unusually cold.
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK has been a strong advocate for ECT modernisation. At the Energy Charter Conference on 22 November, the decision to adopt the modernised Treaty was postponed. The UK has been closely monitoring the situation surrounding the Energy Charter Treaty’s modernisation process, including the positions taken by other Contracting Parties, and will continue to do so.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
9 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Questions
(View all Fabian Hamilton's BEIS questions)While the Government will always respect the freedom of individuals to strike, it is important this is balanced with the right of everyone else to go about their lives safely – and that is exactly what these new laws seek to do.
The new laws we are introducing are reasonable and will bring us in line with countries in the EU like France, Italy and Spain who have had arrangements guaranteeing minimum service levels during strike action in place for many years.
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has committed to carrying out a review of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme by the end of the year to inform decisions on future support. We cannot confirm which sectors will receive further support after 31st March 2023 until the review has concluded.
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government endorses the considerate use of fireworks. The majority of individuals who use fireworks do so in a responsible and safe manner and there are enforcement mechanisms in place to tackle situations when fireworks are misused. We will continue to engage with all our stakeholders, including animal welfare organisations, charities, local authorities and the industry, to listen to and understand their views.
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The directors of a company have a duty to prepare a strategic report and are responsible for its contents and their judgements. The auditor is required to review the strategic report and, based on the work done during the audit of the accounts, to state whether information in the strategic report is consistent with the accounts and has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Both the directors and the auditor are accountable to the shareholders of the company for the contents of the strategic report.
The Financial Reporting Council, through its Supervision Committee, reviews the annual reports of public and large private companies for compliance with the law. The FRC’s corporate reporting review work does not duplicate the role of directors or auditors. Directors are responsible for the judgements in the strategic report, not the FRC’s Supervision Committee.
The Government will publish a post-implementation review of non-financial reporting regulations shortly. The post implementation review will cover both the 2013 regulations, which introduced the requirement for a strategic report, and the 2016 regulations requiring reporting on environmental, social and community matters, applicable to large Public Interest Entities.
The UK has a strong record on human rights and environmental awareness and protection, much of which results from our framework of legislation. The UK already requires companies to undertake due diligence on sustainability matters under existing legislation on corporate transparency. UK listed companies are required to report on relevant environmental, social and governance aspects in their annual reports. Large businesses are also required to publish supply chain transparency statements on steps they have taken to ensure that no modern slavery or human trafficking is taking place in their business or through their supply chains. Both reporting requirements compel disclosure of a company’s due diligence arrangements where these are in place.
In certain circumstances, companies can already be held liable for breaches of duties of care to others where harm is suffered as a foreseeable consequence of the breach.
The Government is committed to achieving its net zero target by 2050 and is supportive of community energy, recognising the valuable role that community and locally owned renewable energy projects can and do, play in supporting our efforts to decarbonise the economy. The Government understands the role of community energy in raising awareness, increasing participation and, promoting the behaviour change necessary if we are to achieve both net-zero and a green recovery.
While the Government agrees with the broad intentions of what the Local Electricity Bill seeks to achieve and wants to see more local energy schemes as part of delivering a net-zero energy system, it does not support the Bill as the means to enable local energy supply.
The right to local energy supply already exists under the Electricity Act 1989 and Ofgem, the independent energy regulator, has existing flexibility to award supply licences that are restricted to specified geographies and/or specified types of premises. Changing the licensing framework to suit specific business models risks creating wider distortions elsewhere in the energy system, which could increase costs for other consumers and further unintended consequences.
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On the 27th September 2021, the Government published the Severe Space Weather Preparedness Strategy. This sets out a 5-year roadmap to enhance our understanding of severe space weather, its impacts to UK energy infrastructure, and the UK’s ability to forecast events, respond and recover from them quickly. The Strategy is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-severe-space-weather-preparedness-strategy
On the whole, the British public has stuck to the rules and for the most part have maintained social distance in those retail outlets that have remained open during the pandemic.
Local authorities and HSE will take social distancing guidelines into account when monitoring compliance and considering action against employers who are not complying with the relevant public health legislation and guidance to control public health risks.
The Government will consider if a stronger approach is needed and will take appropriate action as necessary.
6 Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Questions
(View all Fabian Hamilton's DCMS questions)The details of the O2 Brixton Academy incident which took place on 15 December 2022 are being examined and investigations are ongoing. Licensing decisions for the O2 Brixton Academy are a matter for Lambeth Council. The government is grateful to the Metropolitan Police, Lambeth Council and the Security Industry Authority (SIA) for the work they are doing in this space. We will continue to carefully monitor the investigation’s progress, and want to ensure that the events of 15 December 2022 are not repeated.
The society lottery annual sales limit was last increased in July 2020 as part of a wider package of changes to society lottery limits.
DCMS published a review of the impact of these in March 2022. Early indicators are positive, for example the increase in the annual sales limit has allowed some multiple licensed operators who previously had annual sales in excess of £10 million, to take advantage of the new limit to restructure and become single licence holders, and use the cost savings in doing so to increase good cause returns. The review concluded that it is too soon to reach any firm view on the impact of the changes, especially during a time that the effect of the Covid pandemic made any evaluation more difficult, given changes in consumer behaviour over this period which may have had a distorting effect. We want to see more data on annual growth of the sector to fully measure their impact.
My officials will continue working with the Gambling Commission, as part of its regulatory role, to keep the sector under review.
The Government has always been clear that racism, including any form of anti semitism, has no place in football, sport, or society at large. This is why the government and its arm’s length bodies, Sport England and UK Sport, have worked closely with football authorities and the sector to ensure there is continued action to tackle all forms of racism at football matches.
This includes actions targeted at and around football grounds, such as improving reporting systems, providing better training and support for referees and stewards, and improving the quality of CCTV around stadia.
I will continue to meet with the Premier League and other football authorities to ensure that tackling all forms of racism remains a priority.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Large society lotteries raised a record £402 million for good causes between April 2020 and March 2021. Currently, society lotteries must return a minimum of 20% of ticket sales revenue per draw to good causes, but there is no cap on annual donations. The current average return to good causes stands at 46%.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government, through UK Sport, provides funding towards the staging of major sporting events in line with the Gold Framework guidance on UK-level support available when bidding for and staging major sporting events.
Given that Cyclo-cross is currently not an Olympic or Paralympic discipline, it is unlikely to be eligible for this type of funding (unless taking place as part of an event covering multiple cycling disciplines).
However, UK Sport does have regular contact with British Cycling about their event-hosting ambitions and is supporting the staging of the combined UCI World Championships in Glasgow in 2023
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The department is delivering the largest expansion of childcare in England’s history. By the 2027/28 financial year, this government expects to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year, double what it currently does on childcare, on free hours and early education to help working families with their childcare costs.
The department has provided local authorities with £12 million of delivery support funding in the 2023/24 financial year to help them plan and prepare for the entitlement’s expansion, as well as £100 million of capital funding to help expand or refurbish facilities.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
By the 2027/2028 financial year, this government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education. This is the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.
From April 2024, eligible working parents of 2 year olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week (38 weeks of the year) from the term after the child’s 2nd birthday. Over 100,000 parents have already applied for the expansion starting in April, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has confirmed that our latest projections show that more than 150,000 new funded places will be secured by early April.
From September 2024, the department will provide working parents with 15 hours of free childcare a week from when their child is 9 months until they start school. This will increase to 30 hours from September 2025.
Delivering that ambition includes increasing childcare funding rates, with an additional £204 million in this financial year, an additional £400 million in the coming financial year and guaranteed uplifts in line with cost pressures for two years after that. The department is providing grants to help new childminders enter the sector and, to make it easier for the sector, making changes to the early years foundation stage to provide more flexibility.
The department hears every day from families how significant this policy will be for their finances. Once the roll-out is completed, eligible families will save up to £6,500 per year. The roll out will help parents to return to work or increase their hours, and tens of thousands of parents have already successfully applied for their codes, ready to take up their places in April. To see the full range of support they are entitled to, parents should visit: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
Hundreds of thousands of children aged 3 and 4 are already registered for a 30-hour place, which can save eligible working parents up to £6,500 per child per year. Expanding this entitlement to younger children across the country will help even more working parents with the cost of childcare and make a real difference to the lives of those families.
In addition to the expanded entitlements, the government has also taken action to support parents on Universal Credit with childcare costs upfront when they need it, rather than in arrears. The department has increased support for these parents by increasing the childcare cost maximum amounts to £950 for one child and £1,629 for two children.
Tax-Free Childcare remains available for working parents of children aged 0-11, or up to 17 for eligible disabled children. This can save parents up to £2,000 per year, or up to £4,000 for eligible children with disabilities and has the same income criteria as 30 hours free childcare.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Higher education opportunities should be available to all who have the ability and attainment to pursue them and who wish to do so. The government takes a close interest in ensuring that the higher education admissions system is fair, which includes working closely with higher education providers (HEP) and sector bodies to make sure the system works well for students.
HEPs are autonomous institutions, as per the Higher Education and Research Act of 2017. This means they control their own admissions criteria and the government does not intervene in the requirements providers set for students to access a course.
While HEPs are used to assessing a wide range of qualifications from domestic and international applicants to make admissions decisions, it is essential that that recruitment and admissions practices command public confidence and deliver the best outcomes for students.
The department has launched an investigation into university admissions practices, and will take action to ensure fairness between domestic and international students.
The Department has plans in place to monitor the national implementation of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) over time, including measuring teacher confidence in teaching the statutory requirements. The Department has contracted with the International Institute of Field Research to undertake quantitative and qualitative research, which will seek to understand the quality of implementation, including teacher confidence in teaching the statutory requirements.
The research will aim to test whether schools are implementing the requirements with sufficient quality. It will also inform any further support offers, and test and revise the theory of change for how setting this requirement will improve pupil’s outcomes. Interim findings will support the review of the RSHE statutory guidance, and the Department expects to publish the final report in 2024.
The Department has brought forward the review of the RSHE statutory guidance, including an independent expert advisory panel, which will advise the Secretary of State on the introduction of age limits for certain subjects. Further details are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terms-of-reference-for-review-panel-on-rshe.
The work of the expert panel will inform the public consultation which will be published in the autumn, prior to publishing revised guidance in 2024.
High needs funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will be rising to £10.1 billion in the 2023/24 financial year. This is an increase of over 50% from the 2019/20 allocations. The funding will help local authorities and schools with the costs of supporting children and young people, including providing specialist support services, therapies and interventions.
We know that children and young people with SEND frequently require access to additional support from a broad specialist workforce across education, health and care. We are committed to improving the supply, training and deployment of key workforces to make the best use of professional expertise, in order to provide these specialist services, therapies and interventions.
In November 2022, the department announced funding worth £21 million to go towards training 400 more educational psychologists. This new funding, in place from 2024, builds on the £10 million announced earlier in 2022 to train over 200 educational psychologists from September 2023.
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
In the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published in March 2023, the department set out plans to reform the education, health and care (EHC) plan system. The Improvement Plan does not alter the statutory eligibility for EHC plan. The current test for eligibility for an EHC needs assessment is set out in Section 36(8) of the Children and Families Act 2014.
The SEND and AP reforms seek to make best practice common practice in how EHC plans are delivered. They include establishing a single EHC plan form and supporting processes across England, including a national requirement for the use of digital technology to improve consistency and access to information. We will also test the use of multi-agency panels to enable local authorities to make judgements based on a holistic view of the needs of the child or young person across education, health and care when deciding whether to issue an EHC plan. We are already engaging with children, young people, families, and practitioners to develop this work.
The department wants to ensure that EHC plans, where required, are issued as quickly as possible, so that the child or young person can access the support they need. In 2021 (the latest figures available), there were 93,300 requests for an EHC plan. 63,200 new EHC plans were issued, the highest number since they were introduced. 59.9% were issued within 20 weeks.
The department recognises the vital role local authority staff play in supporting families in the SEND and EHC plan system. We will consider the skills and training these staff require and, when consulting on amending the SEND Code of Practice, will propose new guidance on delivering a responsive and supportive casework service.
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
In the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published in March 2023, the department set out plans to reform the education, health and care (EHC) plan system. The Improvement Plan does not alter the statutory eligibility for EHC plan. The current test for eligibility for an EHC needs assessment is set out in Section 36(8) of the Children and Families Act 2014.
The SEND and AP reforms seek to make best practice common practice in how EHC plans are delivered. They include establishing a single EHC plan form and supporting processes across England, including a national requirement for the use of digital technology to improve consistency and access to information. We will also test the use of multi-agency panels to enable local authorities to make judgements based on a holistic view of the needs of the child or young person across education, health and care when deciding whether to issue an EHC plan. We are already engaging with children, young people, families, and practitioners to develop this work.
The department wants to ensure that EHC plans, where required, are issued as quickly as possible, so that the child or young person can access the support they need. In 2021 (the latest figures available), there were 93,300 requests for an EHC plan. 63,200 new EHC plans were issued, the highest number since they were introduced. 59.9% were issued within 20 weeks.
The department recognises the vital role local authority staff play in supporting families in the SEND and EHC plan system. We will consider the skills and training these staff require and, when consulting on amending the SEND Code of Practice, will propose new guidance on delivering a responsive and supportive casework service.
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The government reviews the support provided towards students’ living costs on an annual basis.
The department has continued to increase maximum loans for living costs each year, with a 2.3% increase for the 2022/23 academic year and a further 2.8% increase for the 2023/24 academic year.
Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs that is lower than the maximum for the 2022/23 academic year 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.
The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year which have impacted students.
On 11 January 2023, the department announced that student premium funding would be boosted by £15 million. There is now £276 million of student premium funding available this academic year to support students who need additional help. This extra funding will supplement the help universities are already providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes.
The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) is available to over 900,000 households in Great Britain who do not have a domestic electricity supply and were not eligible to receive support automatically through the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS), providing them with £400 to support them with their energy bills. This includes students who receive their electricity through an intermediary (such as a letting agency or a landlord) who has a commercial electricity supply.
Between October 2022 and March 2023, all households saved money on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee. This was in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier were eligible for the energy bills discount.
Together with the higher education sector, we are doing all that we can to support students facing hardship. However, decisions on student finance have to be taken alongside other spending priorities to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and the costs of higher education are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.
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 data is being prepared and will be published 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 |
Oxford East | Oxford Spires Academy, announced December 2022 |
Leeds North East | John Jamieson School, announced December 2022 |
Harrow East | The Sacred Heart Language College, announced December 2022 |
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.
The department welcomed the successful return of summer exams and other formal assessments in 2022.
The department and Ofqual have confirmed that in the 2022/23 academic year, exams and formal assessments will largely return to pre-pandemic arrangements in summer 2023.
Ofqual confirmed a return to pre-pandemic grading in 2023. However, to protect students against disruption of recent years, and in case students’ performance is slightly lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic, senior examiners will use the grades achieved by previous cohorts of pupils, along with prior attainment data, to inform their decisions about where to set grade boundaries.
The department has decided that formulae and equation sheets for GCSE mathematics, physics and combined sciences exams should be provided for any exams taken next summer. We have asked Ofqual to put this in place and they launched a consultation on this.
The government has also provided a range of support packages to help students recover from the pandemic, targeted at those that need help most.
The department’s ambitious, multi-year education recovery plan supports young people to catch up on missed learning by investing in what we know works: teacher training and evidence-based support, including tutoring and extra education opportunities.
The department knows that disadvantaged children have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. We are committed to helping these pupils to recover and close the attainment gap. That is why the department’s recovery programmes, such as the recovery premium and the National Tutoring Programme, are especially focused on helping the most disadvantaged.
Through the provision of free school means (FSM), together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, the greatest ever proportion of school children, 37.5%, are now provided with a free meal at lunchtime, at a cost of over £1 billion a year.
The department continues to monitor the situation surrounding the rising cost of living whilst working with other government departments on support surrounding this issue. We do not have any plans to extend universal provision, but we will continue to review free school meal eligibility, to ensure that these meals are supporting the most disadvantaged, those out of work or on the lowest incomes. In setting a threshold, the department believes that the current level – which enables children to benefit, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools – is the right one. Extending FSM eligibility to all pupils would carry a significant financial cost.
The department is also providing over £200 million per year for the next three years to provide healthy food in the holidays via our Holiday Activities and Food programme, providing breakfast clubs in thousands of schools, as well as delivering the School Fruit and Vegetable scheme and wider government schemes such as Healthy Start vouchers.
Through the provision of free school means (FSM), together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, the greatest ever proportion of school children, 37.5%, are now provided with a free meal at lunchtime, at a cost of over £1 billion a year.
The department continues to monitor the situation surrounding the rising cost of living whilst working with other government departments on support surrounding this issue. We do not have any plans to extend universal provision, but we will continue to review free school meal eligibility, to ensure that these meals are supporting the most disadvantaged, those out of work or on the lowest incomes. In setting a threshold, the department believes that the current level – which enables children to benefit, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools – is the right one. Extending FSM eligibility to all pupils would carry a significant financial cost.
The department is also providing over £200 million per year for the next three years to provide healthy food in the holidays via our Holiday Activities and Food programme, providing breakfast clubs in thousands of schools, as well as delivering the School Fruit and Vegetable scheme and wider government schemes such as Healthy Start vouchers.
Through the provision of free school means (FSM), together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, the greatest ever proportion of school children, 37.5%, are now provided with a free meal at lunchtime, at a cost of over £1 billion a year.
The department continues to monitor the situation surrounding the rising cost of living whilst working with other government departments on support surrounding this issue. We do not have any plans to extend universal provision, but we will continue to review free school meal eligibility, to ensure that these meals are supporting the most disadvantaged, those out of work or on the lowest incomes. In setting a threshold, the department believes that the current level – which enables children to benefit, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools – is the right one. Extending FSM eligibility to all pupils would carry a significant financial cost.
The department is also providing over £200 million per year for the next three years to provide healthy food in the holidays via our Holiday Activities and Food programme, providing breakfast clubs in thousands of schools, as well as delivering the School Fruit and Vegetable scheme and wider government schemes such as Healthy Start vouchers.
Through the provision of free school means (FSM), together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, the greatest ever proportion of school children, 37.5%, are now provided with a free meal at lunchtime, at a cost of over £1 billion a year.
The department continues to monitor the situation surrounding the rising cost of living whilst working with other government departments on support surrounding this issue. We do not have any plans to extend universal provision, but we will continue to review free school meal eligibility, to ensure that these meals are supporting the most disadvantaged, those out of work or on the lowest incomes. In setting a threshold, the department believes that the current level – which enables children to benefit, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools – is the right one. Extending FSM eligibility to all pupils would carry a significant financial cost.
The department is also providing over £200 million per year for the next three years to provide healthy food in the holidays via our Holiday Activities and Food programme, providing breakfast clubs in thousands of schools, as well as delivering the School Fruit and Vegetable scheme and wider government schemes such as Healthy Start vouchers.
The cost of childcare is a key concern for parents, which is why the government has made an investment in childcare over the past decade, with over £3.5 billion spent in each of the past three years on the department’s early education entitlements.
The department has also introduced Tax-Free Childcare, which is available for working parents of children aged 0-11 (or up to 16 if their child has a disability). This scheme can save parents up to £2,000 per year (or up to £4,000 for children with disabilities) from their childcare costs.
Working parents on a low income, including those returning from maternity leave, may also be eligible for help with up to 85% of their childcare costs through the childcare element of Universal Credit. This is subject to a monthly limit of £646 for one child or £1108 for two or more children aged 0-16.
The government’s range of childcare offers includes 15 hours free early education for all three- and four-year-olds, regardless of parental income or working status. This helps children to develop social skills and prepare them for school, regardless of their background.
Working parents of three- and four-year-olds may also be eligible for an additional 15 hours of free childcare, known as 30 hours free childcare. To be eligible for 30 hours free childcare, a lone parent must earn from just over £7,400 a year, and a couple, where both parents are working, from just over £14,800 per year, to access 30 hours.
Parents can usually continue accessing, and applying for, 30 hours free childcare if they are on paid maternity leave. If parents are on unpaid maternity leave, they can apply for 30 hours free childcare (for their 3- or 4-year-old) 31 days before their expected return to work date.
Adoption regulations, supported by statutory guidance, provide for a full range of information to be gathered about a child where adoption is considered to be the most appropriate permanence option. The child’s permanence report, which is shared with prospective adopters, must include a summary of the child’s current physical and mental health written by the relevant medical adviser. It is in the best interests of children that all accurate information, where known, is shared with adoptive families.
Where an adopter believes that this has not happened, they can make a complaint under the local authority published complaints procedure. If someone is dissatisfied with the response they get from their local authority they can refer the matter to the Local Government Ombudsman.
As part of the implementation of the government’s adoption strategy, achieving excellence everywhere, the department will work with regional adoption agencies to ensure all adopters are given all the health information about the child they will be adopting.
Foster parents and adoptive parents receive support in different ways, as their roles and responsibilities differ. Foster parents look after children on behalf of a local authority, and decision-making for the child is shared. Adopters become the child’s new permanent legal parents and make all parental decisions.
We are committed to ensuring foster parents get appropriate recognition, support and training. In July 2018, we published ‘Fostering Better Outcomes’, which sets out our ambitions and priorities for improving the outcomes and experiences of children in foster care.
The government’s adoption strategy, ‘Achieving Excellence Everywhere’ (July 2021), sets out a vision to support Regional Adoption Agency leaders to secure adopters who are well-prepared to meet the needs of children waiting for adoption. It also commits to the development of national standards for adoption support services.
Adoptive parents can access medical support and treatment for mental health conditions from mainstream NHS services. The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) provides support to help adoptive children and families overcome earlier trauma, such as through psychotherapy, family and creative therapies. The ASF has supported nearly 40,000 children to date, and we are investing a further £144 million over the next 3 years.
Most children are adopted before they reach school age, but we recognise the need to support children both before and after adoption. We are seeking to improve mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges and have committed to fund training for all senior mental health leads by 2025.
Looked-after children of school age going through the adoption process are also entitled to support from designated teachers and the local authority virtual school heads. The child’s Personal Education Plan (PEP) will include support when a child has a plan for permanence, such as through adoption. The PEP will identify developmental needs, including any related to attachment and past trauma, and outline support for any mental health needs.
The adoption strategy sets out an ambition that all Regional Adoption Agencies will have strong education policies, working with local virtual school heads and designated teachers to use the best practice to drive high quality support for adopted children in schools across the country.
To support better collaboration and information sharing between health services and local authorities, the adoption strategy sets out a commitment to build on the success of the two current Regional Adoption Agency Centres of Excellence. We will be providing funding to other Regional Adoption Agencies to develop Centres that provide joined up assessment and packages of support across children’s social care, education, and health, including better access to children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
Ofsted is responsible for independent inspection of the effectiveness of local authority children’s social care services. Ofsted’s inspection framework includes consideration of permanence arrangements for children who are looked after, including adoption. Ofsted also reviews the effectiveness of leadership and management, and the quality of professional practice.
Foster parents and adoptive parents receive support in different ways, as their roles and responsibilities differ. Foster parents look after children on behalf of a local authority, and decision-making for the child is shared. Adopters become the child’s new permanent legal parents and make all parental decisions.
We are committed to ensuring foster parents get appropriate recognition, support and training. In July 2018, we published ‘Fostering Better Outcomes’, which sets out our ambitions and priorities for improving the outcomes and experiences of children in foster care.
The government’s adoption strategy, ‘Achieving Excellence Everywhere’ (July 2021), sets out a vision to support Regional Adoption Agency leaders to secure adopters who are well-prepared to meet the needs of children waiting for adoption. It also commits to the development of national standards for adoption support services.
Adoptive parents can access medical support and treatment for mental health conditions from mainstream NHS services. The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) provides support to help adoptive children and families overcome earlier trauma, such as through psychotherapy, family and creative therapies. The ASF has supported nearly 40,000 children to date, and we are investing a further £144 million over the next 3 years.
Most children are adopted before they reach school age, but we recognise the need to support children both before and after adoption. We are seeking to improve mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges and have committed to fund training for all senior mental health leads by 2025.
Looked-after children of school age going through the adoption process are also entitled to support from designated teachers and the local authority virtual school heads. The child’s Personal Education Plan (PEP) will include support when a child has a plan for permanence, such as through adoption. The PEP will identify developmental needs, including any related to attachment and past trauma, and outline support for any mental health needs.
The adoption strategy sets out an ambition that all Regional Adoption Agencies will have strong education policies, working with local virtual school heads and designated teachers to use the best practice to drive high quality support for adopted children in schools across the country.
To support better collaboration and information sharing between health services and local authorities, the adoption strategy sets out a commitment to build on the success of the two current Regional Adoption Agency Centres of Excellence. We will be providing funding to other Regional Adoption Agencies to develop Centres that provide joined up assessment and packages of support across children’s social care, education, and health, including better access to children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
Ofsted is responsible for independent inspection of the effectiveness of local authority children’s social care services. Ofsted’s inspection framework includes consideration of permanence arrangements for children who are looked after, including adoption. Ofsted also reviews the effectiveness of leadership and management, and the quality of professional practice.
Foster parents and adoptive parents receive support in different ways, as their roles and responsibilities differ. Foster parents look after children on behalf of a local authority, and decision-making for the child is shared. Adopters become the child’s new permanent legal parents and make all parental decisions.
We are committed to ensuring foster parents get appropriate recognition, support and training. In July 2018, we published ‘Fostering Better Outcomes’, which sets out our ambitions and priorities for improving the outcomes and experiences of children in foster care.
The government’s adoption strategy, ‘Achieving Excellence Everywhere’ (July 2021), sets out a vision to support Regional Adoption Agency leaders to secure adopters who are well-prepared to meet the needs of children waiting for adoption. It also commits to the development of national standards for adoption support services.
Adoptive parents can access medical support and treatment for mental health conditions from mainstream NHS services. The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) provides support to help adoptive children and families overcome earlier trauma, such as through psychotherapy, family and creative therapies. The ASF has supported nearly 40,000 children to date, and we are investing a further £144 million over the next 3 years.
Most children are adopted before they reach school age, but we recognise the need to support children both before and after adoption. We are seeking to improve mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges and have committed to fund training for all senior mental health leads by 2025.
Looked-after children of school age going through the adoption process are also entitled to support from designated teachers and the local authority virtual school heads. The child’s Personal Education Plan (PEP) will include support when a child has a plan for permanence, such as through adoption. The PEP will identify developmental needs, including any related to attachment and past trauma, and outline support for any mental health needs.
The adoption strategy sets out an ambition that all Regional Adoption Agencies will have strong education policies, working with local virtual school heads and designated teachers to use the best practice to drive high quality support for adopted children in schools across the country.
To support better collaboration and information sharing between health services and local authorities, the adoption strategy sets out a commitment to build on the success of the two current Regional Adoption Agency Centres of Excellence. We will be providing funding to other Regional Adoption Agencies to develop Centres that provide joined up assessment and packages of support across children’s social care, education, and health, including better access to children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
Ofsted is responsible for independent inspection of the effectiveness of local authority children’s social care services. Ofsted’s inspection framework includes consideration of permanence arrangements for children who are looked after, including adoption. Ofsted also reviews the effectiveness of leadership and management, and the quality of professional practice.
Foster parents and adoptive parents receive support in different ways, as their roles and responsibilities differ. Foster parents look after children on behalf of a local authority, and decision-making for the child is shared. Adopters become the child’s new permanent legal parents and make all parental decisions.
We are committed to ensuring foster parents get appropriate recognition, support and training. In July 2018, we published ‘Fostering Better Outcomes’, which sets out our ambitions and priorities for improving the outcomes and experiences of children in foster care.
The government’s adoption strategy, ‘Achieving Excellence Everywhere’ (July 2021), sets out a vision to support Regional Adoption Agency leaders to secure adopters who are well-prepared to meet the needs of children waiting for adoption. It also commits to the development of national standards for adoption support services.
Adoptive parents can access medical support and treatment for mental health conditions from mainstream NHS services. The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) provides support to help adoptive children and families overcome earlier trauma, such as through psychotherapy, family and creative therapies. The ASF has supported nearly 40,000 children to date, and we are investing a further £144 million over the next 3 years.
Most children are adopted before they reach school age, but we recognise the need to support children both before and after adoption. We are seeking to improve mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges and have committed to fund training for all senior mental health leads by 2025.
Looked-after children of school age going through the adoption process are also entitled to support from designated teachers and the local authority virtual school heads. The child’s Personal Education Plan (PEP) will include support when a child has a plan for permanence, such as through adoption. The PEP will identify developmental needs, including any related to attachment and past trauma, and outline support for any mental health needs.
The adoption strategy sets out an ambition that all Regional Adoption Agencies will have strong education policies, working with local virtual school heads and designated teachers to use the best practice to drive high quality support for adopted children in schools across the country.
To support better collaboration and information sharing between health services and local authorities, the adoption strategy sets out a commitment to build on the success of the two current Regional Adoption Agency Centres of Excellence. We will be providing funding to other Regional Adoption Agencies to develop Centres that provide joined up assessment and packages of support across children’s social care, education, and health, including better access to children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
Ofsted is responsible for independent inspection of the effectiveness of local authority children’s social care services. Ofsted’s inspection framework includes consideration of permanence arrangements for children who are looked after, including adoption. Ofsted also reviews the effectiveness of leadership and management, and the quality of professional practice.
Foster parents and adoptive parents receive support in different ways, as their roles and responsibilities differ. Foster parents look after children on behalf of a local authority, and decision-making for the child is shared. Adopters become the child’s new permanent legal parents and make all parental decisions.
We are committed to ensuring foster parents get appropriate recognition, support and training. In July 2018, we published ‘Fostering Better Outcomes’, which sets out our ambitions and priorities for improving the outcomes and experiences of children in foster care.
The government’s adoption strategy, ‘Achieving Excellence Everywhere’ (July 2021), sets out a vision to support Regional Adoption Agency leaders to secure adopters who are well-prepared to meet the needs of children waiting for adoption. It also commits to the development of national standards for adoption support services.
Adoptive parents can access medical support and treatment for mental health conditions from mainstream NHS services. The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) provides support to help adoptive children and families overcome earlier trauma, such as through psychotherapy, family and creative therapies. The ASF has supported nearly 40,000 children to date, and we are investing a further £144 million over the next 3 years.
Most children are adopted before they reach school age, but we recognise the need to support children both before and after adoption. We are seeking to improve mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges and have committed to fund training for all senior mental health leads by 2025.
Looked-after children of school age going through the adoption process are also entitled to support from designated teachers and the local authority virtual school heads. The child’s Personal Education Plan (PEP) will include support when a child has a plan for permanence, such as through adoption. The PEP will identify developmental needs, including any related to attachment and past trauma, and outline support for any mental health needs.
The adoption strategy sets out an ambition that all Regional Adoption Agencies will have strong education policies, working with local virtual school heads and designated teachers to use the best practice to drive high quality support for adopted children in schools across the country.
To support better collaboration and information sharing between health services and local authorities, the adoption strategy sets out a commitment to build on the success of the two current Regional Adoption Agency Centres of Excellence. We will be providing funding to other Regional Adoption Agencies to develop Centres that provide joined up assessment and packages of support across children’s social care, education, and health, including better access to children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
Ofsted is responsible for independent inspection of the effectiveness of local authority children’s social care services. Ofsted’s inspection framework includes consideration of permanence arrangements for children who are looked after, including adoption. Ofsted also reviews the effectiveness of leadership and management, and the quality of professional practice.
Foster parents and adoptive parents receive support in different ways, as their roles and responsibilities differ. Foster parents look after children on behalf of a local authority, and decision-making for the child is shared. Adopters become the child’s new permanent legal parents and make all parental decisions.
We are committed to ensuring foster parents get appropriate recognition, support and training. In July 2018, we published ‘Fostering Better Outcomes’, which sets out our ambitions and priorities for improving the outcomes and experiences of children in foster care.
The government’s adoption strategy, ‘Achieving Excellence Everywhere’ (July 2021), sets out a vision to support Regional Adoption Agency leaders to secure adopters who are well-prepared to meet the needs of children waiting for adoption. It also commits to the development of national standards for adoption support services.
Adoptive parents can access medical support and treatment for mental health conditions from mainstream NHS services. The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) provides support to help adoptive children and families overcome earlier trauma, such as through psychotherapy, family and creative therapies. The ASF has supported nearly 40,000 children to date, and we are investing a further £144 million over the next 3 years.
Most children are adopted before they reach school age, but we recognise the need to support children both before and after adoption. We are seeking to improve mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges and have committed to fund training for all senior mental health leads by 2025.
Looked-after children of school age going through the adoption process are also entitled to support from designated teachers and the local authority virtual school heads. The child’s Personal Education Plan (PEP) will include support when a child has a plan for permanence, such as through adoption. The PEP will identify developmental needs, including any related to attachment and past trauma, and outline support for any mental health needs.
The adoption strategy sets out an ambition that all Regional Adoption Agencies will have strong education policies, working with local virtual school heads and designated teachers to use the best practice to drive high quality support for adopted children in schools across the country.
To support better collaboration and information sharing between health services and local authorities, the adoption strategy sets out a commitment to build on the success of the two current Regional Adoption Agency Centres of Excellence. We will be providing funding to other Regional Adoption Agencies to develop Centres that provide joined up assessment and packages of support across children’s social care, education, and health, including better access to children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
Ofsted is responsible for independent inspection of the effectiveness of local authority children’s social care services. Ofsted’s inspection framework includes consideration of permanence arrangements for children who are looked after, including adoption. Ofsted also reviews the effectiveness of leadership and management, and the quality of professional practice.