Written Question
Monday 17th November 2014
Asked by:
John Hemming (Liberal Democrat - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question
to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will issue guidance on the age threshold at which and for what period leaving one or more children alone or in charge of another child at home is an advisory issue, a child protection issue or a criminal offence.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The law is clear that any adult who has responsibility for any child or young person under 16 can be prosecuted for neglect if they leave a child unsupervised “in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health” (Section 1 Children and Young Persons Act 1933).
There are no plans for the Department for Education to issue guidance. The choice to leave children home alone is left to the parents to decide using their own judgement. The NSPCC produce guidance on this, which sets out the law and when it would become a child protection issue or a criminal offence to leave a child at home alone. The guidance can be found online at:
www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/advice-and-info/home-alone-guide-keeping-child-safe.pdf
Written Question
Monday 10th November 2014
Asked by:
John Hemming (Liberal Democrat - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question
to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 in accordance with the families test as recently announced by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Education Act 1996 places a duty on the parents of any child of compulsory school age who is registered at a school, to ensure their child’s regular attendance. The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulation 2006 and subsequent amendments provide the basis upon which schools record pupil attendance. It ensures that both parents and the school know the whereabouts of pupils and are held to account for fulfilling their duty towards those pupils.
This is not new Government policy and it has been the result of considerable deliberation and scrutiny. The Department for Education does not intend to review the application of the 2013 Regulations in light of the announcement made by my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding the families test.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 23 Oct 2014
Repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
"I share the hon. Gentleman’s concern about the power of the Executive. Does he agree that the constitution should be established in the best interests not of the Prime Minister, but of the country as a whole, particularly in circumstances in which we are having to borrow a lot of …..."John Hemming - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 23 Oct 2014
Repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
"Obviously, we have had fixed-term Parliaments for a long time; it is just that the Prime Minister had the power to call an early election. Who does my hon. Friend believe should have the power to decide to have an early election?..."John Hemming - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 23 Oct 2014
Repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
"I thank my hon. Friend for his previous answer. He said the effective test of whether the Prime Minister’s decision to have an election was a good one was whether the Prime Minister got elected, and that the test was measured by the political party. In essence, such a decision …..."John Hemming - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 23 Oct 2014
Repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
"rose—..."John Hemming - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 23 Oct 2014
Repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
"I am sure that my hon. Friend agrees that a key priority of this Parliament has been to sort out the finances, but uncertainty creates greater instability in the financial markets. If we had to pay another 1%, it would cost us about £10 billion or more a year. Does …..."John Hemming - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 23 Oct 2014
Repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
"The hon. Gentleman is making the case for shorter Parliaments. The question is who should make the decision. Should the term be fixed or should the Prime Minister be given back the power to make the decision purely on party interest, thereby costing everyone a lot of money?..."John Hemming - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 23 Oct 2014
Repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
"Why does the hon. Gentleman believe that the Prime Minister alone should be able to make that decision, rather than Parliament through a majority?..."John Hemming - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 23 Oct 2014
Repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
"I thank the hon. Gentleman for the confirmation that it would be a party decision taken in the party interest. Should it not be a decision that is taken in the public interest?..."John Hemming - View Speech
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