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Written Question
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: COE Parliamentary Assembly
Tuesday 7th February 2023

Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe debate entitled Building the Open Council of Europe Academic Networks, held on 27 January 2023, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies.

Answered by Robert Halfon

The department actively participates in the Council of Europe education programme through a seat on the Council of Europe Education Steering Committee. The aim of this committee is to help develop a culture of democracy through quality education. The department has not undertaken such an assessment.


Written Question
Education: Children
Thursday 3rd February 2022

Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report presented to and debated at the Council of Europe entitled The right to be heard: child participation.

Answered by Will Quince

The government is committed to promoting and protecting children’s rights and recognises the crucial work of the Council of Europe. We value and endorse the report’s key message that every child has the right to speak and be heard.

The government continues to actively engage with children and young people through its policy making and promotes the use of the children’s rights impact assessment across Whitehall, including the development of a children’s rights training package.

We have proactively sought views from as many young people as possible as we prepare the UK’s United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of a Child state party report, which we will submit to the UN Committee in June.

This has included:

  • Circulating surveys on children’s rights through various children’s charities.
  • Holding a series of focus groups with young people on a range of topics.
  • Engaging with a number of boards led by children to help resolve issues affecting them, such as the Family Justice and Young People Board, who have provided useful insights of their experiences of the system.

We also work closely with the Children’s Commissioner for England and welcome her work with children and young people, in particular, the big ask survey, which was distributed to all children across England and captured their views on their priorities for the future.


Written Question
British Students Abroad
Monday 1st November 2021

Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)

Question to the Department for Education:

What steps his Department is taking to help increase access to opportunities to study overseas.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

This Government recognises the value of supporting students to study and do work placements overseas because of the benefits it brings to the UK and our international partners.

Student mobility can provide life changing opportunities while creating a generation of globally minded young people with broadened horizons. It enhances productivity and employment outcomes for young people while also helping to build international relationships between students and institutions.

That is why we introduced the UK’s £110 million international mobility programme, the Turing Scheme, which is providing the opportunity for more than 40,000 students in schools, colleges and universities to study and work abroad this academic year in over 150 destinations.

The Turing Scheme specifically seeks to support participation of UK students from disadvantaged backgrounds and areas of historical low participation in student mobility. More than 19,000, 48%, of the placements approved for funding are for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. This will help to ensure these life-changing opportunities are accessible to everyone across the country.


Written Question
Children: Human Rights
Thursday 1st July 2021

Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on children's rights and the covid-19 outbreak of the debate which took place at the Council of Europe on 22 June 2021.

Answered by Vicky Ford

During the COVID-19 outbreak, protecting and promoting the best interests of the child has been at the heart of the action this government has taken, and continues to take. The debate at the Council of Europe highlighted a number of areas impacted by COVID-19 relating to children’s rights, such as education, socio-economic inequality and vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak the government has worked to prioritise vulnerable children. During the outbreak, we were one of few countries across the world to keep schools open for vulnerable children and children of critical workers throughout national restrictions, protecting children’s right to education. We also distributed over 1.3 million laptops and tablets to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £400 million government investment to support access to remote education and online social care services.

We know that the mental health and wellbeing of young people has been affected by the outbreak, and that being back in school and college plays a central role in promoting wellbeing for pupils. That is why we worked hard to ensure that schools were first to reopen in March 2021. We have also announced £17 million towards improving mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges, including £7 million additional funding for local authorities to deliver the Wellbeing for Education Recovery programme.

We have put £200 million into Summer Schools, giving secondary pupils access to enrichment activities and this year we are investing up to £220 million in our Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has now been expanded across England.

Children's social care services and early help services have also continued to support vulnerable children and young people and their families throughout the outbreak.

The government is now looking ahead to recovery. We must 'build back better' for vulnerable children and their families to ensure support is available for those that need it most, when they need it. As part of this, we have invested over £3 billion since June 2020 to support education recovery for children aged 2-19 in schools, colleges and early years settings. This will have a material impact in addressing lost learning and closing gaps that have emerged.


Written Question
Oxford University: Disciplinary Proceedings
Thursday 10th January 2019

Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the University of Oxford on the effect on its (a) national and (b) international reputation of the suspension by Christ Church of its Dean.

Answered by Chris Skidmore

There have been no discussions. Higher education providers’ governance arrangements are matters for the Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of higher education in England.

The OfS requires all registered providers to meet the public interest governance principles, which include that all providers must operate openly, honestly, accountably and with integrity and demonstrate the values appropriate to be recognised as an English higher education provider.

If providers fall short, the OfS has powers to intervene. The OfS considers a range of factors before deciding whether an intervention is required, including reputational damage to the higher education sector caused by the actions of a provider registered with the OfS.


Written Question
Oxford University: Disciplinary Proceedings
Thursday 10th January 2019

Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had discussions with the University of Oxford on its governance following the suspension of the Dean of Christ Church cathedral and college Oxford; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Chris Skidmore

There have been no discussions. Higher education providers’ governance arrangements are matters for the Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of higher education in England.

The OfS requires all registered providers to meet the public interest governance principles, which include that all providers must operate openly, honestly, accountably and with integrity and demonstrate the values appropriate to be recognised as an English higher education provider.

If providers fall short, the OfS has powers to intervene. The OfS considers a range of factors before deciding whether an intervention is required, including reputational damage to the higher education sector caused by the actions of a provider registered with the OfS.