Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many separate breaches of the Academies Financial Handbook have been recorded by her Department in the last 12 months.

Accountability is founded on a clear framework communicated and regulated by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), They ensure oversight and compliance based on proportionate risk assessments as well as robust intervention wherever needed.

The primary responsibility for the oversight of trusts rests with the trustees themselves, supported by clear financial management and governance requirements set by the ESFA in the Academies Financial Handbook.

Where concerns arise that an academy trust has breached the Academies Financial Handbook, the ESFA works with trusts to prevent financial instability and enable them to recover their financial position and return to stable governance. When the government does intervene, we publish financial notices and investigation reports that can viewed via: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-investigation-reports and https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-financial-notices-to-improve.

Current evidence demonstrates strong financial management in the majority of academy trusts. Fewer than 2% of academy trusts are subject to an active Financial Notices to Improve.