Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
What progress has been made on catch-up learning for pupils in response to the disruption caused by the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Gavin Williamson
Since June 2020, we have announced over £3 billion to help children to catch up, including over £950 million in flexible funding to schools and £1.5 billion for tutoring. Over 500,000 children were invited to take part in summer schools nationwide. Over 200,000 have started tutoring, with more starting shortly.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has conducted an impact assessment of the decision to change the reconciliation threshold rate for Education and Skills Funding Agency grant funded AEB adult skills.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
We are lowering the reconciliation threshold for the Education and Skills Funding Agency grant funded Adult Education Budget (AEB) (adult skills including non-formula funded community learning and 19-24 traineeships) and Advanced Learner Loan Bursary fund providers for the 2020-21 academic year, from 97% and 100% respectively to 90%.
The 90% now proposed for the current funding year is, therefore, a relaxation of the normal rules for the benefit of all grant-funded providers and their learners.
In areas where the AEB has been devolved, Mayoral Combined Authorities or the Greater London Authority are responsible for considering any provider flexibilities in their areas.
We are monitoring the situation carefully and, in particular, if there are providers that may need further support.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provisions in the Turing scheme are accessible for youth groups.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The Turing Scheme is backed by £110 million, providing funding for around 35,000 students in universities, colleges and schools to go on placements and exchanges overseas, starting in September 2021.
The Turing Scheme is an education mobility scheme. International opportunities for young people outside of formal education settings, such as youth groups, are being considered as part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport-led Youth Review, which was commissioned by Her Majesty's Treasury at the 2020 Spending Review.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to assess the presence of asbestos in schools which did not respond to the recent Asbestos Management Assurance Process request.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department takes the issue of asbestos in schools seriously, and is committed to supporting schools, local authorities and academy trusts to fulfil their duty to manage asbestos safely, in line with the Control of Asbestos Regulations (2012). The Department has taken significant steps in recent years to strengthen schools’ approach to managing asbestos, including publishing refreshed guidance for schools in 2017 and launching the Asbestos Management Assurance Process earlier this year.
The response has been positive. The Department is, however, writing to schools and responsible bodies that did not participate in the assurance process to set out their legal duties and ask them to confirm that asbestos management plans are in place, where required.
The Department is also working closely with the Health and Safety Executive, which as the regulator, is empowered to take action where they feel that it is necessary.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many incidents of asbestos released in schools were reported to his Department in each year between September 2011 and September 2017; how many school staff and pupils have been exposed in such incidents; and what action was taken by the Heath and Safety Executive in relation to those incidents.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The safety of children is paramount. The Department has taken significant steps in recent years to strengthen schools’ approach to managing asbestos. Since 2015, £5.6 billion has been invested to improve and maintain school buildings, including removing or encapsulating asbestos where appropriate. In addition, the £4.4 billion Priority School Building Program is rebuilding or refurbishing those school buildings in the very worst condition.
The Department does not hold data on the areas requested. If an incident of this nature is brought to the Department’s attention the person raising the incident would be redirected to the appropriate responsible body and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE has confirmed that the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 require incidents be reported to them, where a work activity causes the accidental release or escape of asbestos fibres into the air in a quantity sufficient to cause damage to the health of any person.
Incidents reported to the HSE are selected for investigation in accordance with incident selection criteria: http://www.hse.gov.uk/enforce/incidselcrits.pdf. HSE enquiries seek to ensure action is taken to control any immediate risk and that all relevant duty holders ensure effective controls are in place to reduce the likelihood of further similar failings. Enforcement action in respect of any compliance shortfalls is taken in accordance with the HSE’s published Enforcement Policy Statement: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse41.pdf.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on earmarking an asbestos removal fund to tackle asbestos in schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department takes the issue of asbestos in schools seriously, and is committed to supporting schools, local authorities and academy trusts to fulfil their duty to manage asbestos safely. It is the aim of the government that, over time, as more school buildings are replaced and refurbished, all asbestos will be removed from schools.
The Department has invested £4.2 billion in maintenance and improvement across the schools’ estate since 2015, enabling local authorities and multi-academy trusts to maintain their school buildings, and is rebuilding or refurbishing buildings at over 500 schools through the Priority Schools Building Programme - an investment of £4.4 billion. Asbestos is being removed or encapsulated where appropriate as part of these programmes.
Usage of asbestos in the construction of buildings in Britain, including schools, peaked between 1945 and 1975 before declining until its use was banned in 1999.
The Department is currently developing an asbestos management assurance process. This process will ask local bodies responsible for management of asbestos in schools to provide information about whether asbestos is present in their schools and how this is being managed.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what analysis and data her Department holds on the number of school buildings which contain asbestos.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department takes the issue of asbestos in schools seriously, and is committed to supporting schools, local authorities and academy trusts to fulfil their duty to manage asbestos safely. It is the aim of the government that, over time, as more school buildings are replaced and refurbished, all asbestos will be removed from schools.
The Department has invested £4.2 billion in maintenance and improvement across the schools’ estate since 2015, enabling local authorities and multi-academy trusts to maintain their school buildings, and is rebuilding or refurbishing buildings at over 500 schools through the Priority Schools Building Programme - an investment of £4.4 billion. Asbestos is being removed or encapsulated where appropriate as part of these programmes.
Usage of asbestos in the construction of buildings in Britain, including schools, peaked between 1945 and 1975 before declining until its use was banned in 1999.
The Department is currently developing an asbestos management assurance process. This process will ask local bodies responsible for management of asbestos in schools to provide information about whether asbestos is present in their schools and how this is being managed.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether VAT was charged on the purchase of Kingsland Fire Station from the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.
Answered by Edward Timpson
VAT was not charged on the purchase of Kingsland Fire Station, 333 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4DR when it was purchased in October 2015. The site was not VAT elected.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse was of the purchase of the Kingsland Fire Station site for use by the Hackney New Primary School; and how much accrued to the public purse from the sale of that site.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government purchased the Kingsland Fire Station, 333 Kingsland Road, London E8 4DR for the sum of £16,000,000 (exclusive of VAT) from the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority in October 2015. The site has not been sold on.
The purchase, which was funded from the Department for Education’s budget, was made in the name of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government; this is a long standing convention whereby the seal of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is held equally across all government departments and used for Land Registry Title purposes.
We do not have the details of any gain made by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority from the sale of the site; that could only be answered by the Authority.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse was of the purchase of the Kingsland Fire Station site for use by the Hackney New Primary School; and what the gain to the public purse was of the sale of that site.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The purchase of Kingsland Fire Station, 333 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4DR for the sum of £16,000,000 (exclusive of VAT) from the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority was funded from the Department for Education’s budget and made in the name of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. The site has not been sold on.