Thelma Walker Portrait

Thelma Walker

Labour - Former Member for Colne Valley

First elected: 8th June 2017

Left House: 6th November 2019 (Defeated)


Thelma Walker is not a member of any APPGs
3 Former APPG memberships
Health, Oracy, Rail in the North
Education Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Welsh Affairs Committee
8th Jan 2018 - 5th Feb 2018


Division Voting information

Thelma Walker has voted in 408 divisions, and 2 times against the majority of their Party.

27 Mar 2019 - EU: Withdrawal and Future Relationship Votes - View Vote Context
Thelma Walker voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 42 Labour No votes vs 143 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 188 Noes - 283
25 Jun 2018 - National Policy Statement: Airports - View Vote Context
Thelma Walker voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 94 Labour No votes vs 119 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 415 Noes - 119
View All Thelma Walker Division Votes

All Debates

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
Theresa May (Conservative)
(12 debate interactions)
John Bercow (Speaker)
(9 debate interactions)
Anne Milton (Independent)
(8 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Education
(39 debate contributions)
Department of Health and Social Care
(20 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(12 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Finance Act 2019
(690 words contributed)
Overseas Electors Bill 2017-19
(53 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Thelma Walker's debates

Colne Valley 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).

Petition Debates Contributed

Children & young adults with CF endure lifelong suffering & early death. They need Orkambi and other precision medicines as they are developed. Sufferers in the EU, US & Australia can access the drugs, but not the UK. Hundreds have died in the 3yrs since these drugs were licensed.

Schools are having to make difficult choices on how to spend their limited funding as their income has not kept pace with the rise in costs since 2010. All schools are working very hard to “make ends meet” but this is becoming increasingly difficult and verging on almost impossible.

Safe Standing offers a much safer alternative to fans who wish to stand, rather than sit at football matches. After the highly successful introduction to rail seating at Celtic Park, as well as numerous Bundesliga clubs, many football fans feel that laws preventing standing areas should be relaxed.

We call for a ban on the outsourcing (privatisation) of NHS services, and stop the renewal of any outsourcing contracts already signed. Companies should not be profiteering from NHS contracts, when every pound of NHS budgets is desperately needed for more doctors and nurses, and to pay them more.

Around 50,000 people in the UK use British Sign Language, so why is this not taught in schools? There are many children who are born deaf, and we need to give them a better chance at a more integrated future. This is why BSL needs to be taught in schools.

That this Government without delay recognises the need for a non-means tested bridging pension for women born on or after 6/4/1950 who are affected by the 1995 and 2011 Pension Acts and compensate those at risk of losing up to around £45,000, to also give proper notification for any future changes.

Every single person who works in public services needs and deserve a pay rise. It’s time for the pay cap to be scrapped, for the government to provide additional funding for public sector pay and for employers to put public sector workers pay up now.


Latest EDMs signed by Thelma Walker

16th October 2019
Thelma Walker signed this EDM as a sponsor on Thursday 17th October 2019

Voter ID requirements at polling stations

Tabled by: Faisal Rashid (Labour - Warrington South)
That this House expresses deep concern at the Government’s announced plans to prevent people from voting unless they can provide photographic identification at the next election; notes that of the 44.6 million votes cast in 2017, there were just 28 allegations of in-person voter fraud and one conviction; recognises that …
71 signatures
(Most recent: 4 Nov 2019)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 50
Scottish National Party: 10
Independent: 4
Liberal Democrat: 4
Plaid Cymru: 2
Green Party: 1
14th October 2019
Thelma Walker signed this EDM as a sponsor on Tuesday 15th October 2019

Anti-Semitic Attack in Halle, Germany

Tabled by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
That this House condemns in the strongest possible terms the heinous anti-semitic attack at the synagogue in Halle, Germany, and sends condolences to those affected; notes with concern the increase in antisemitism in society and the impact on the Jewish community; resolves to support the Jewish community in doing everything …
64 signatures
(Most recent: 16 Dec 2019)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 34
Scottish National Party: 7
Independent: 6
Conservative: 6
Liberal Democrat: 6
Democratic Unionist Party: 3
Green Party: 1
Plaid Cymru: 1
The Independent Group for Change: 1
View All Thelma Walker's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Thelma Walker, 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.



Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
1 Other Department Questions
23rd Jan 2018
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she plans to review the operation of the Equality Act 2010.

A post-legislative scrutiny review of the Equality Act 2010 took place in 2015 and is here https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/441838/Memo_to_Women_Equalities.pdf
The way that the Act operates is kept under review to ensure that it operates as intended.

Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
26th Apr 2018
To ask the Attorney General, what steps his Department has taken to reduce its use of single-use plastics.

In our 25 year environment plan, the Government outlined a range of measures on how we will reduce the amount of plastic in circulation through reducing demand for single-use plastic. This included a commitment to removing all consumer single use plastics from the central government estate offices.

18th Jul 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans to hold consultation and negotiations with Prospect, the Public and Commercial Services Union and the FDA on the Pay Remit Guidance for civil servants.

In preparation for this year’s Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance, officials met with trade union representatives on a number of occasions.

Additionally I met with the General Secretaries of the FDA, Prospect and PCS trade unions on 27th June.

Departments set pay strategies appropriate to their workforce and the public services they deliver; they consult with trade unions as appropriate on these issues.

Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
26th Jun 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress has been made on enabling candidates for local authority elections to withhold their home address; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to the Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood to PQs 148916 and 148917 on 7 June 2018.

1st May 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2018 to Question 136610, how the Government plans to evaluate the effectiveness of the Race Disparity Unit in Kirklees when it does not record how many people it has engaged with by location.

The Ethnicity Facts and Figures website features data across a wide range of areas including health, education, employment, housing and criminal justice. The Government is committed to updating the data as it changes. Some of the data details disparities by local authority, including Kirklees, and will identify changes over time.

The Race Disparity Unit does not collect data on the number of people engaged with in precise locations. Officials have met individuals including members of the public from Kirklees, local charity and community organisations and the local authority.

1st May 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26th April 2018 to Question 136610, on Ethnic Groups: Kirklees, how many (a) individuals, (b) community organisations, (c) local authorities and (d) academics the Race Disparity Unit has engaged with since it was created.

The Ethnicity Facts and Figures website features data across a wide range of areas including health, education, employment, housing and criminal justice. The Government is committed to updating the data as it changes. Some of the data details disparities by local authority, including Kirklees, and will identify changes over time.

The Race Disparity Unit does not collect data on the number of people engaged with in precise locations. Officials have met individuals including members of the public from Kirklees, local charity and community organisations and the local authority.

26th Apr 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken to reduce its use of single-use plastics.

Interserve (our Facilities Management Contractor) have taken an active stance in reducing our impact on the environment, through their SustainAbilities programme. As a result, they have implemented a number of supply chain and contract specific initiatives to tackle waste, and impact on the environment.

Together with Interserve we have taken a number of visible actions across our catering operations, for example the use of Vegware coffee cups which are compostable.

Additionally, we are reviewing the benefits of switching plastic cutlery and take away plastic containers with a Vegware alternative, swapping out plastic water cups for glasses, and have implemented dispensers for condiments to replace single use sachets in our restaurant.

Beyond this Interserve are assessing our wider operations to determine where we can reduce avoidable plastic waste, and swap with more sustainable solutions where appropriate.

Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
26th Feb 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people who live in Colne Valley constituency, are employed on zero-hour contracts.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

31st Oct 2017
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to consult the public on the merits of alternative methods to the first past the post system for voting in general elections.

The Government committed in its manifesto to retain the First Past the Post system for Parliamentary elections.

The Government’s view is that the First Past the Post system is well-established here. In each constituency, candidates are elected to represent the views of their constituents and in each case a candidate for whom more people voted than for any of the alternatives is elected. The current system also provides a clear and well-understood link between constituents and their representative in Parliament.

The Government does not, therefore, have plans to change the voting system at the present time.

15th Oct 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether her Department has plans to review the traffic light system limits on seismic disturbance.

The Government has always been clear that it will only support the exploration of our shale gas resources in a safe and sustainable way. The Oil and Gas Authority is undertaking a scientific analysis of the data from Cuadrilla’s earlier operations in 2018 which will be published shortly. The Government will set out our future approach once we have considered the findings.

5th Feb 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase the production of energy from low-carbon renewable sources.

In 2017, 10.2 per cent of total energy consumption came from renewable sources; up from 9.2 per cent in 2016 (source: DUKES 2018) and 3.8% in 2010 (source: DUKES 6.7 – 2018). In our most recent Contracts for Difference auction we secured over 3GW of renewable electricity from as little as £57.50/MWh. The Government has made available up to £557m for future Contracts for Difference, with the next auction planned for May this year.

The Government is also supporting the decarbonisation of heat and is supporting renewable and low-carbon heating technologies through the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme (RHI), which encourages the uptake of renewable heat technologies amongst householders, communities and businesses through financial incentives, with £4.5bn allocated for renewable and low carbon heating between 2016 and 2021.

26th Apr 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to reduce its use of single-use plastics .

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has made a commitment to eradicate single use plastics by 2020. We are working with our contractors to realise this goal as speedily as possible.

26th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on Government support for (a) local authorities and (b) communities to meet the UK's targets for carbon emissions.

Climate change is one of the most urgent and pressing challenges we face today, and the UK Government is committed to tackling it. The Clean Growth Strategy, published in October 2017, sets out the Government’s ambitious plans for decarbonising the economy through the 2020s. We continue to engage with Departments on implementing the strategy, including the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The joint BEIS and MHCLG office for Cities and Local Growth works closely with Ministers from both Departments, as well as Local Enterprise Partnerships and local authorities. BEIS has launched a Local Energy Programme which will provide support to Local Enterprise Partnerships and local authorities to help them implement energy projects which benefit their communities. To date, £7m has been committed to this. Additionally a further £16m has been provided to Local Authorities by the Heat Networks Delivery Unit (HNDU) and £24m through the pilot phase of the £320m Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP). Local Authorities can also bid for funding in the main scheme of HNIP.

26th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase the production of electricity through community wind projects.

The Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government leads on, encourages local authorities and neighbourhood planning bodies to set out positive policies to support community-led initiatives for renewable and low carbon energy. The NPPF also encourages authorities to identify opportunities where developments can draw their energy supply from decentralised, renewable or low carbon energy supply systems.

We are working with delivery partners to consider how communities wanting renewable projects can be best supported to deliver these cost-effectively. Community wind projects can be supported through the Feed In Tariff (FIT). We have reintroduced FIT pre-accreditation, including an extra six months’ validity period for community energy projects. Additionally the Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF) provides support to community groups in rural areas for development and implementation of energy projects, including wind. RCEF is jointly funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and is managed on behalf of Government by DEFRA.

26th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people employed by (a) producers of kit cars and (b) the supply chain for kit cars.

Production of kit cars is a small sub-sector of the automotive sector and it is not possible to isolate this sub-sector using the data sources available on employment numbers.

26th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the contribution to the public purse made by kit car sector in each of the last five years.

Kit cars are a small sub-sector of the automotive sector, which cannot be isolated using the data sources available.

10th Jan 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to restrict TV advertising relating to the gambling industry.

There are strict controls on the content of all gambling advertisements, including broadcast adverts and online. Gambling operators who advertise in the UK must comply with the advertising codes, which aim to ensure gambling advertising does not target or appeal particularly to children or young people, or exploit vulnerable people. TV adverts must be pre-cleared by Clearcast and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) acts on complaints and proactively checks the media to take action against misleading, harmful or offensive advertisements.

Our Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures set out a package of measures to strengthen protections further. These include tougher guidance from the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) on protecting vulnerable people, with further guidance on children and young people due soon, tougher sanctions for operators who breach advertising codes and a multi-million pound safer gambling advertising campaign.

The Industry Group for Responsible Gambling has announced that it will extend its commitment not to advertise on TV before 9pm to include advertising during sporting events. It has announced that the changes are expected to come into effect in summer. Its industry-wide code for socially responsible advertising also requires all TV adverts to feature a responsible gambling message for the duration of the advert. Separately, Sky will offer customers the option to opt out of TV gambling adverts from 2020. These are welcome steps by industry to respond to public concerns, and it is important that all those who benefit from gambling advertising think about how they can be socially responsible. We will continue to monitor issues around advertising and consider any new evidence carefully.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
26th Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to protect mobile phone users from being signed up to PayForIT services without consent or knowledge.

The regulation of premium rate services, including those offered via the PayForIT payment method, requires that consumers must not be charged for such services without their consent or knowledge. The Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA), the UK’s regulator of premium rate services, is continuing to work with the industry to tackle this issue, by improving security standards and updating consent to charge guidance. The PSA also takes robust enforcement action against breaches of its regulation and this includes imposing substantial fines, ordering refunds to be made to affected consumers and prohibiting service providers and individuals from providing phone-paid services for a period of time.

26th Apr 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has taken to reduce its use of single-use plastics .

In our 25 Year Environment plan the Government outlined a range of measures on how we will reduce the amount of plastic in circulation through reducing demand for single-use plastic. This included a commitment to removing all consumer single use plastics from the central government estate offices.

28th Mar 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of banning gambling adverts on television shown prior to the watershed of 9pm.

There are strict controls on the content of all gambling advertisements, including television adverts. Gambling operators who advertise in the UK must comply with the advertising codes, which aim to ensure gambling advertising does not appeal particularly to children or young people or exploit those who are vulnerable. Gambling adverts must not portray, condone or encourage gambling behaviour that is socially irresponsible or could lead to financial, social or emotional harm. The Committees for Advertising Practice recently published guidance setting out tougher standards for interpreting the rules on gambling advertising, focusing on protections for those vulnerable to problem gambling and on free bets and bonuses. Further guidance on protecting children and young people will be published later this year.

Through the Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising there is an industry-wide voluntary commitment not to advertise on television before 9pm, with the exception of lotteries, bingo and advertising around live sporting events. This code also bans free sign up offers targeted at new customers before 9pm.

We sought evidence on protections around advertising as part of the Government's Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures, and outlined a package of measures in our consultation. The consultation closed in January and we will publish our response in due course.

22nd Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support her Department provides to support the creative industries in (a) Kirklees and (b) Yorkshire.

Government recognises the role played by creative businesses, including media, right across the UK in local economic growth. Government supports this growth via tax credits, regional development programmes, relocation of Arms Length Bodies associated with the sector, rebasing of public sector broadcasters and putting ‘place’ at the heart of the Industrial Strategy. The department does not collect data on creative industries investment on a region-by-region basis.

DCMS funds Arms Length Bodies that have regional objective and invest in arts and culture, which develop future skills and talent for the Creative Industries. According to Arts Council England and British Film Institute data, Kirklees has received grant-in-aid and lottery support of almost £17m, since 2012. Yorkshire and the Humber received over £396m in the same period.

Employment in Yorkshire and the Humber’s film and TV industries increased by 40 per cent in 2016, outstripping every other UK region. A driver of this growth is Screen Yorkshire’s ‘Yorkshire Content Fund’, a public-private investment fund for the TV, film, video games and digital sectors, The fund is open to producers either based in Yorkshire or wishing to film or establish a base in the region. Screen Yorkshire has worked extensively with the British Film Institute and received regional support for its Screen Hub, which is also supported by 14 local partners, including 8 local authorities and 6 universities.

16th Nov 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Education on ensuring young people from diverse backgrounds can succeed in the creative industries.

Ministers for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have regular discussions with their counterparts in the Department for Education on a range of issues relating to the creative industries, including ensuring young people from diverse backgrounds can succeed in the sector. The Department also supports a wide range of initiatives to diversify talent in the creative industries, including the Creative Industries Council’s Create Together strategy, which sets diversity targets for the sector; the BFI’s Three Ticks, which requires films receiving public funding to meet diversity standards; and Project Diamond, which monitors diversity in the broadcasting sector.

19th Oct 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to improve superfast broadband coverage in Colne Valley constituency.

The Colne Valley constituency falls within the area of BDUK partner 'Superfast West Yorkshire'. It is this local body who are responsible for managing superfast rollout in West Yorkshire. For further details of their plan, please contact the project directly https://www.superfastwestyorkshire.co.uk/

5th Sep 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the gender pay gap at the BBC.

The government is committed to eliminating the gender pay gap. As a public service broadcaster funded by the licence fee, the BBC has a responsibility to set an example for others and lead the way in promoting equality in the workplace. It is for the BBC to determine how to close its gender pay gap and we expect to see improvement in next year's disclosure.

18th Jul 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve local authority support for vulnerable children.

We are providing local authorities with more money to support vulnerable children, with an additional £410 million invested this year across adults’ and children’s social care. Separately, we are investing £84 million over 5 years to drive improvements in children’s services across local authorities, especially through early intervention.

In 2018, the department introduced a new, tougher Ofsted inspection framework to drive improvement in children’s services. The department intervenes robustly in every local authority judged ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, bringing in experts to assess which improvements will ensure better services. This might include removing service delivery from the council’s control by establishing a trust, giving children’s services a fresh start.

Since May 2010, 46 local authorities have been lifted out of intervention and have not returned, and the number of inadequate local authorities has reduced from 30 to 19 since July 2017. We aim to continue making these improvements at pace so that, by 2022, less than 10% of local authorities are rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, halving failure rates within 5 years and providing consistently better services for thousands of children and families across the country.

To get ahead of failure, we are investing an additional £20 million in our regional improvement strategy, working collaboratively with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, Local Government Association, Solace and the rest of the sector to identify local authorities that need additional support. Our Regional Improvement Alliances and high-performing ‘Partners in Practice’ local authorities support those at risk of failure, embedding a system of sector-led improvement with more than 70 local authorities receiving support to date.

26th Mar 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department collects to monitor the effectiveness of money allocated from the public purse to early years early intervention strategies in (a) Kirklees and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.

The Public Health Outcomes Framework is a comprehensive source of data at local authority unitary, county and district level on the extent to which local strategies are successful and effective in improving outcomes for children in the early years. It is available at the following link: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework.

The framework includes data on outcomes for children aged 5 from the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP). Further information on the EYFSP is broken down by local authority and available to view at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results-2017-to-2018. We do not publish this data at constituency or combined authority level.

19th Dec 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to publish the results of the consultation on draft guidance for elective home education; and how many submissions were received for that consultation.

The government response document resulted from the consultation on elective home education, which ended on 2 July 2018. This document along with the finalised guidance documents will be published soon.

The number of responses received to the consultation were as follows:

Type of response

Number of responses

Online

2987

Email

274

Hard Copy

180

22nd Nov 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to support the delivery of Education and Health Care Plans for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

We have given £252 million to local authorities to support implementation of the new duties under the Children and Families Act (2014). We have also funded a consortium of partners, including the Council for Disabled Children, to work with health and social care services, including producing guidance on improving education, health and care (EHC) plans; and funded a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) leadership programme and legal training for all local authorities and their health partners to ensure they are clear on their statutory responsibilities.

We have strengthened the National Health Service (NHS) Provider Contract for NHS Trusts to include a requirement to report on meeting the six-week deadline for health input into EHC plans; established a national network for Designated Medical Officers and Designated Clinical Officers, funded a local authority led regional network and developed resources to support joint self-assessment and peer review.

We monitor implementation on the ground, for example, looking at the time it takes for local authorities to issue EHC plans. The Ofsted/Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections of SEND services we introduced in 2016 have also shone a light on strengths and weaknesses in the delivery of EHC plans and have proved a catalyst for local change. Where significant concerns have been identified, written statements of action (WSOA), setting out the actions the local area will take to improve services, are supporting local areas to improve their services. Ofsted and the CQC will re-visit each area with a WSOA to assess the progress they are making; and where sufficient progress is not being made, we will take appropriate action.

64.9% of new EHC plans (excluding exception cases) were issued within 20 weeks in 2017, up from 58.6% in 2016.

30th Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the criteria used to determine the level of need in the allocation of high needs funding.

High needs funding allocations for individual pupils is determined by local authorities in consultation with their schools and families. In most cases, high needs funding will be allocated following a statutory education, health and care needs assessment.

Following extensive consultation, the high needs national funding formula allocates funding to local authorities through a set of proxy factors. Further information on these factors can be found in the consultation document at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/high-needs-funding-reform-2/.

30th Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2018 to Question 180286 on Children: Hearing Impairments, if he will publish the findings from his Department’s monitoring of the impact of the national funding formula on high needs.

The department published Section 251 budget data for 2018-19, detailing the planned spend by local authorities on high needs, in September 2018. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2018-to-2019#section-251-budget-data.

16th Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding available to local authorities for specialist education services for deaf children.

We want children with special educational needs and disabilities to be able to reach their full potential.

Nationally, high needs funding has risen by £1 billion since 2013-14, to just under £6 billion in 2018-19. Allocations for individual local authorities can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019.

However, we recognise that costs have increased which is why we are providing extensive support to schools to deliver the best value possible with available resources. This includes a high needs benchmarking tool to allow local authorities to compare their spending in this area.

We are monitoring the impact of our national funding formula on high needs and are keeping the overall level of funding under review.

3rd Sep 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report, Keep on Caring published by the Government in July 2016, when his Department plans to undertake a review the implementation of the policy of staying put.

The department keeps the Staying Put policy under constant review by monitoring data from local authorities showing take-up amongst young people, engagement with the sector and looking at information from Ofsted inspections of local authorities. Staying Put was also considered as part of the independent fostering review undertaken by Sir Martin Narey and Mark Owers, published in February 2018.

Staying Put has been welcomed by care leavers and the sector. It is recognised by them as a positive initiative and has helped thousands of care leavers to transition more smoothly from care to independence, providing continuity of relationships and care arrangements. The department will continue to gather information from the national rollout of Staying Put and in light of this, refine policy as required.

18th Jul 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he is providing guidance to head teachers and school leaders on salary levels for the forthcoming academic year in the absence of the publication of the 2018 School Teachers' Review Body report; and if he will make a statement.

The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) has recently submitted its 28th Report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, which makes recommendations on the 2018 pay award. The Government will now consider carefully the report from the STRB and its recommendations. The Department will publish the report and our response as soon as possible.

11th Jul 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students started a nursing degree apprenticeship in 2017-18.

There have been 64,830 apprenticeship starts in Health, Public Services and Care, reported to date, in the first three quarters of the 2017 to 2018 academic year (August 2017 to April 2018) in England:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships.

We want to increase the number of nursing apprenticeships and now have a complete apprentice pathway from entry level to postgraduate advanced clinical practice in nursing. This will support people from all backgrounds to enter a nursing career in the NHS.

The registered nurse (degree) apprenticeship standard was approved for delivery on 9 May 2017. To date, there have been 260 starts on the registered nurse (degree) apprenticeship in the 2017 to 2018 academic year (August 2017 to April 2018) in England.

We have also created a new programme for nursing associate (Level 5 standard approved for delivery on 20 November 2017) apprentices to broaden the routes into the profession. 5,000 starts are planned in 2018, with a further 7,500 in 2019. To date, there have been 640 starts on the nursing associate apprenticeship in the 2017 to 2018 academic year (August 2017 to April 2018) in England.

We are working closely with employers, Health Education England and ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care to make sure the NHS is fully supported to recruit apprentices, both in nursing and in a range of other occupations.

11th Jul 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding per pupil has been allocated to schools in (a) Kirklees and (b) Yorkshire in each year since 2010.

The revenue funding allocated for primary and secondary education for each financial year from 2010 to 2018 for Kirklees local authority and Yorkshire and Humber regions are shown in the table. Funding is not allocated separately for primary and secondary pupils.

Revenue amounts allocated for primary and secondary education for each financial year from 2010 to 2018 for Kirklees local authority and Yorkshire and Humber region.

Funding for Schools 2010-18 £ millions

Financial Year

Kirklees Local Authority

Yorkshire and Humber

2010-112

312.1

3,681.1

2011-12

314.4

3,721.7

2012-13

321.4

3,800.4

2013-14

343.7

4,075.4

2014-15

357.5

4,241.0

2015-16

363.8

4,361.0

2016-17

366.9

4,389.5

2017-183

374.3

4,506.7

[1] There have been various changes to the way revenue funding has operated over this period, though essentially the above figures cover local government finance settlement for schools, the dedicated schools grant and other revenue grants.

[2] For 2010-17, primary and secondary pupil numbers in each local authority in England can be found in the local authority tables for each year at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.

[3] Data for 2017 to 2018 and onwards will be added to the webpage in due course.

11th Jul 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to fund Staying Put beyond 2019-20.

The cross-government care leaver strategy ‘Keep on Caring’ was published in July 2016. This confirmed that funding for Staying Put would continue to be paid to local authorities until the end of the Spending Review period. It also confirmed that the funding would be up-rated by 2% each year to take inflation into account. The amount of funding is therefore £23.3 million for the period 2018 to 2019 and £23.77 million for the period 2019 to 2020. Funding beyond March 2020 will be subject to the outcome of the next Spending Review.

15th Jun 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer 5 March 2018 to Question 129461, what recent estimate he has made of the number of apprentices employed by Carillion who are yet to find alternative apprenticeship provision.

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has engaged directly with 1,148 apprentices in England and the official receiver has reported that they have secured new employment, with wages, for 775 apprentices to date and one apprentice has moved into full time education.

The CITB continues to support all affected learners and offer a range of support options. They are currently engaged in further work with the apprentices specifically targeting the remaining cohort of disengaged learners. The active and disengaged figures fluctuate, as people engage and fall out of the process.

The breakdown of apprentices is as follows:

Category

England Apprentices

In paid employment

699

Pending: Terms and Conditions agreed with new employer

76

Sub Total - official receiver reporting as successfully employed

775

Moved into full time education

1

Successful outcomes as per official receiver

776

Carillion reporting as Active (learner is engaged with matching process and actively seeking future employment)

225

Carillion reporting as disengaged (learner remains currently not engaged in matching process, despite numerous targeted communications)

147

Sub total

372

Total agreed as starting point

1148

(Figures updated by Carillion Training Services / Carillion and CITB 13 June 2018)

16th May 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) all children and (b) children eligible for free school meals reached a good level of development at the age of five in Colne Valley constituency in each of the last three years.

The requested data is in the attached table.

26th Apr 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to reduce its use of single-use plastics.

In our 25 Year Environment plan the government outlined a range of measures on how we will reduce the amount of plastic in circulation through reducing demand for single-use plastic. This included a commitment to removing all consumer single use plastics from the central government estate offices.

At the Department for Education, in our London headquarters, we have already replaced all single-use plastic coffee cups and food containers from our catering services, with compostable alternatives. We have also replaced plastic water cups with compostable versions.

We will continue to work with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and our suppliers to remove single-use plastics from our office estate.

25th Apr 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish the Government’s response to the reports on foster care in England from the (a) Education Committee and (b) Independent Review on foster care by Sir Martin Narey and Mark Owers.

The government response to both the independent review ‘Foster Care in England’ and the Education Select Committee’s report on fostering will be published within the next three months.

27th Mar 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing sanitary products to girls in receipt of free school meals.

Our current Sex and Relationships Education guidance encourages schools to make adequate and sensitive arrangements to help girls cope with menstruation. Schools have discretion over how they use their funding and can make sanitary products available to pupils if they identify this as a barrier to attainment or attendance. We support schools in addressing the needs of disadvantaged pupils through the provision of the Pupil Premium, equivalent to almost £2.5 billion of additional funding this year alone.

We are committed to ensuring that any action to support disadvantaged pupils is based on robust evidence. We have sought to establish whether there has been any rigorous national assessment of the prevalence of period poverty or its impact on attendance, however none appears available. We reached out to school stakeholders in July 2017 through the Association of School and College Leaders forum asking for contributions on the issue and received a very limited response. As promised in the House, we have reviewed our absence statistics and our recently published analysis shows no evidence that period poverty has a significant nation-wide impact on school attendance. We do want to find out more; this is why we intend to place questions on these issues in the department’s 2018 surveys for pupils and senior school leaders.

7th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary for Education, what plans his Department has to introduce a counselling service in all (a) schools and (b) colleges.

The Government recognises the value of school-based counselling but schools are best placed to make decisions on the most appropriate support to provide for their pupils, including school-based counselling. 61 per cent of schools and colleges already provide access to counselling services, including 84 per cent of secondary schools. To support more schools to do so the Government has published a blueprint for school counselling services. This provides practical, evidence-based advice on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling to all pupils. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools.

The Government is consulting on the green paper Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services. It includes proposals to introduce new Mental Health Support Teams to complement existing mental health provision, including school-based counselling.

31st Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2018 to Question 123365 on Office for Students, whether the selection criteria for the Office for Student’s student panel included a specific requirement in to appoint a disabled student.

Decisions regarding the appointments to the Student Panel are the responsibility of the Office for Students.

17th Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representation of disabled students there will be on the Office for Students' Student Panel.

The student panel has been appointed by the Office for Students (OfS) and will play an important role in advising the OfS. Membership of the panel includes representatives of students from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. The announcement of the panel was made on 7 January and can be found at:

https://medium.com/@n.dandridge/new-student-panel-appointed-to-advise-office-for-students-press-release-4b77ebb2769c.

16th Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to review funding streams for children who are not of reception age to access additional support services whilst at nursery.

Funding for children’s services is part of the wider local government finance settlement. The Spending Review in 2015 made available more than £200 billion to councils for local services, including children’s services, up to 2019-20.

By 2019-20 we will be spending around £6 billion on childcare support. This includes, for example, the Disability Access Fund.

Budgets after 2019-20 will be set at the next Spending Review.


16th Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were in good or outstanding schools in each of the last seven years in (a) Kirklees, (b) West Yorkshire, (c) England and (d) UK.

The attached table shows Ofsted inspection data on the number of children in good or outstanding schools in Kirklees, West Yorkshire and England, as at August 31, 2017.

Ofsted are only responsible for inspections in England. The devolved administrations have their own education inspection systems.