Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the reasons were for the cash losses, fruitless payments and write-offs worth more than £100,000 referred to on page 156 of her Department's Annual Report and Accounts, 2013-14, HC 745.

There are three instances of individual losses over £100,000:

• St. Aldhelm’s Academy, £1.21 million: as disclosed in the Department’s accounts, the academy trust suffered a loss as a result of a misdirection of a payment into the wrong bank account. The loss has not been recovered and a police investigation is in hand.

• Oasis Community School Walthamstow, £138,000: the free school project was stopped before opening, but had already incurred unrecoverable costs.

• Chorley Career and Sixth Form Academy, £129,554: another free school project, was also stopped before opening, but had already incurred unrecoverable costs.