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1696771

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of providing a formal apology to unmarried women and their children who were forcibly separated between 1949 and 1976.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	19134
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>The government agreed that the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) raised some important issues regarding historical adoption practices. Whilst a formal apology has not been issued, as the government did not actively support these practices, the government has publicly said sorry on behalf of society to all those affected by these practices during this period.</p><p>As the government response said at the time, successive governments have made significant changes to adoption legislation and practice to ensure that the practices reported are never repeated.</p><p>Furthermore, following the JCHR report, the department has already amended regulations to make it easier for adults to access adoption support. In addition, the department has written to local authorities, encouraging them to retain historical adoption records for 100 years instead of 75, to make access to records easier, and asking them to support access without undue delay to such records.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 27/03/2024 17:19:32 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1697121

	registered interest
	date	19/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Transgender People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to consult (a) transgender students, (b) the families of transgender students and (c) organisations that represent the views of transgender people on the draft guidance entitled Guidance for Schools and Colleges: Gender Questioning Children, published on 19 December 2023.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	19429
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2024 answer text <p>From the 19 December 2023 to the 12 March 2024, the department carried out a full public consultation on the draft guidance for schools and colleges on gender questioning children. Any member of the public could respond and provide their views.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 22/03/2024 14:43:23 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1627904

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Uniforms
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the statutory guidance provided to schools on the costs of school uniforms.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	185061
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2023 answer text <p>The statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms came into force in September 2022. The Department is assessing the effect of the guidance through continued engagement with key stakeholders, including via correspondence received by the Department from parents, head teachers, and uniform suppliers.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 22/05/2023 14:21:19 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1611956

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Qualifications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help students to complete their coursers when an accredited provider of qualifications closes down.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	181499
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2023 answer text <p>When a provider of publicly-funded qualifications in England closes down, the department’s primary goal is to ensure that any students impacted are able to continue with their learning.</p><p>The department has specialist teams with specific processes in place (depending on provider type, qualification type and contract type) to effectively manage such closures, with a focus on continuity for the students concerned.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 25/04/2023 14:23:53 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1605872

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Loans
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason repayment holidays are not permitted on student loans.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	170682
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>The repayment of student loans is governed by the Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations 2009 (as amended).</p><p>Student loans have more favourable terms than commercial loans and carry significant protections for those making loan repayments, including for lower earners and borrowers who experience a reduction in their income. Borrowers are only liable to repay after leaving study when earning over the relevant repayment threshold. At any time, if a borrower’s income falls below the relevant repayment threshold, or a borrower is not earning, their repayments stop. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off after the loan term ends (or in case of death or disability) at no detriment to the borrower. There are no commercial loans that offer this level of protection. If, at the end of the year, the borrower’s total income is below the relevant annual threshold, they may reclaim any repayments from the Student Loans Company made during that year.</p><p>Repayments are calculated as a fixed percentage of earnings above the relevant repayment threshold. This is currently £27,295 for a post-2012 undergraduate loan and £21,000 for a postgraduate loan. These do not change as a result of the interest rate charged, or the amount borrowed.</p><p>Due to the unique nature of student loans, they are exempt from the Consumer Credit Directive and are not subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority. Student loans, along with other specific debts, are non-qualifying debts and are therefore exempt from the Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space) which scheme in any event provides for a moratorium not a payment holiday. Student loans are non-provable debts in bankruptcy since 2004, and therefore repayments must continue to be made by the student.</p><p>Maximum tuition fees, and the subsidised loans available from the government to pay them, remain at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year in respect of standard full-time courses. We are also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years. The department believes that a continued fee freeze achieves the best balance between ensuring that the system remains financially sustainable, offering good value for the taxpayer, and reducing debt levels for students in real terms.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 28/03/2023 15:59:50 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1602776

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Educational Psychology: South West
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to train more educational psychologists in (a) Bristol and (b) the South West of England.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	162261
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2023 answer text <p>The department does not hold specific data on the proportion of educational psychologists currently employed in local authorities that had their training funded by the government.</p><p>Between 2017 and 2019, the department funded 160 training places for educational psychologists across England per year. Since 2020, the department has increased the number of trainees that it funds to over 200 per year. This includes funding training places at the University of Bristol and the University of Exeter. Immediately following graduation, these trainees will be required to work for a minimum of two years in a local authority in England.</p><p>In November 2022, the department announced further funding, worth £21 million, to go towards training over 400 more educational psychologists from 2024. The department will use this opportunity to improve the distribution of course places across England and support local authorities to access a strong supply of qualified educational psychologists.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho grouped question UIN 162260 question first answered 16/03/2023 12:35:39 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1602775

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Educational Psychology: Bristol
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many educational psychologists providing services to children in Bristol had their training funded by the NHS in each year since 2017.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	162260
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2023 answer text <p>The department does not hold specific data on the proportion of educational psychologists currently employed in local authorities that had their training funded by the government.</p><p>Between 2017 and 2019, the department funded 160 training places for educational psychologists across England per year. Since 2020, the department has increased the number of trainees that it funds to over 200 per year. This includes funding training places at the University of Bristol and the University of Exeter. Immediately following graduation, these trainees will be required to work for a minimum of two years in a local authority in England.</p><p>In November 2022, the department announced further funding, worth £21 million, to go towards training over 400 more educational psychologists from 2024. The department will use this opportunity to improve the distribution of course places across England and support local authorities to access a strong supply of qualified educational psychologists.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho grouped question UIN 162261 question first answered 16/03/2023 12:35:39 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1564434

	registered interest
	date	06/01/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Loans
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an option of a repayment holiday for student loans as part of his package of cost of living support for people on low incomes.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	117875
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2023 answer text <p>The student loan repayment system incorporates a number of protections for those making loan repayments, including for those on low incomes.</p><p>Repayments are calculated as a fixed percentage of earnings above the relevant repayment threshold. This is currently £27,295 for a post-2012 undergraduate loan and £21,000 for a postgraduate loan. These do not change as a result of the interest rate charged, or the amount borrowed. If a borrower’s income decreases, so does the amount they repay. If income is below the relevant repayment threshold, or a borrower is not earning, they do not have to make repayments. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off after the loan term ends, or in case of death or disability, at no detriment to the borrower. There are no commercial loans that offer this level of protection.</p><p>To further protect borrowers, the government, by law, must cap maximum student loan rates to ensure the interest rate charged on the loan is in line with market rates for comparable unsecured personal loans. The government monitors student loan rates against the Bank of England’s data series for the effective interest rates on new and existing unsecured personal loans.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 23/01/2023 15:39:19 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1564183

	registered interest
	date	06/01/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pre-school Education: Bristol North West
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of staff in early years settings in Bristol North West constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	117818
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2023 answer text <p>The department does not hold constituency level data for the early years workforce. In December 2022, the department published the childcare and early years provider survey which shows the data at a national and regional level. This can be accessed here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2022" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2022</a>.</p><p>The department has regular contact with each local authority in England. If a local authority raises concerns about sufficiency issues, including due to staffing availability, the department will escalate, with the possibility of offering short-term support via our external support contract. The department is currently seeking to procure a contract that will provide support to local authorities in fulfilling their childcare sufficiency duties. At present, all local authorities, including those in and around Bristol, report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 16/01/2023 13:16:51 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1543949

	registered interest
	date	21/11/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Autumn Statement on 17 November 2022 of additional funding for schools in the next two years, what assessment she has made of the proportion of that extra funding that will be required by schools to cover (a) increased energy bills and (b) increased staffing costs.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	92312
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>The Government is prioritising further funding for schools. The 2022 Autumn Statement has provided an additional increase in the core schools’ budget of £2.3 billion for both 2023/24 and 2024/25. This brings the core schools budget to a total of £58.8 billion in 2024/25. Funding for schools is already £4 billion higher this year than last year, and this additional funding means it will rise by another £3.5 billion, next year. Taken together, that means a 15% increase in funding in two years.</p><p> </p><p>This additional funding will be used to support both mainstream schools and local authorities’ high needs budgets and will support schools in meeting the costs of their increased energy bills and staffing costs. The Department will set out the specific plans for the allocation of this additional funding in due course.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 29/11/2022 13:38:09 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones