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1693358

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Department for Education: Offenders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many civil servants in her Department have a criminal conviction.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	16662
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>The department does not collect or hold information on the criminal convictions of its civil servants.</p><p>The department does require that, prior to commencing employment, individuals have cleared the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). This includes a check for live convictions and is the minimum level of clearance for all people working across the Civil Service. These checks are also carried out for existing civil servants moving into the department.</p><p>If checks highlight convictions, the department will consider the appointment if a conviction relates to any of the following: life sentences, arson, sexual offences, hate and terror offences, the department will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role (the department also undertakes an internal fraud database check, which identifies civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned).</p><p>The department is engaged in the ‘Civil Service Prison Leavers’ scheme but has not yet made any appointments. This scheme ensures that if an individual is a prison leaver, then having a criminal conviction is not a barrier to joining the Civil Service. The department only asks about criminal convictions once a job offer has been made and excepted and the BPSS checks completed.</p><p>The department expects its civil servants to abide by the Civil Service Code of Conduct and the departmental standards of behaviour. Employees must inform their manager if they are arrested, are charged and released, refused bail, or convicted of any criminal offence. If they fail to do so, the department will take disciplinary action for non-disclosure.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 12/03/2024 17:29:25 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1690477

registered interest
date	20/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Education: Boys
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the educational attainment of white working class boys.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	14829
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2024 answer text <p>‘Working class’ is not a characteristic used by the department in monitoring pupil attainment. Disaggregated data at a national level for Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 is available for pupil characteristics by gender, disadvantage, free school meal eligibility, ethnicity, special educational need status and month of birth.</p><p>The latest Key Stage 2 data is available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-2-attainment" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-2-attainment</a>.</p><p>The latest Key Stage 4 data is available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance</a>.</p><p>The government has long-standing programmes designed to close the educational attainment gap and improve the education of all children and young people, whatever their background or circumstance.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 28/02/2024 11:34:46 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1661175

registered interest
date	18/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Redundancy Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2023 to Question 197731 on Schools: Redundancy Pay, if she will take steps to ensure that all severance payments over £50,000 for school staff are approved by her Department or the Treasury.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	199888
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2023 answer text <p>The responsibilities for academy trusts on severance pay and exit packages are set out in the Academy Trust Handbook (ATH), which is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academy-trust-handbook" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academy-trust-handbook</a>. Where the academy trust is considering a staff severance payment, including a non-statutory/non-contractual element (also referred to as a special severance payment) of £50,000 or more, the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s (ESFA) prior approval must be obtained before making any offer to staff. The ESFA will refer such transactions to HM Treasury. Additionally, in accordance with HM Treasury’s Guidance on Public Sector Exit Payments, academy trusts must obtain prior ESFA approval before making a non-statutory/non-contractual staff severance payment where: an exit package, which includes a non-statutory/non-contractual severance payment, is at, or above, £100,000; and/or the employee earns over £150,000. The guidance is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-sector-exit-payments-guidance-on-special-severance-payments" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-sector-exit-payments-guidance-on-special-severance-payments</a>.</p><p>The ATH is also clear that staff severance payments should not be made where they could be seen as a reward for failure, such as gross misconduct or poor performance.</p><p>The responsibility for maintained schools’ severance and exit payments sits with the school and the Local Authority.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 16/10/2023 12:21:21 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1658163

registered interest
date	05/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Redundancy Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many paid severances have been made by (a) all schools and (b) academy trusts in each of the last five years; and what the total cost to the public purse for those severances was in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	197731
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2023 answer text <p>The Government requires a high level of accountability and transparency of academy trusts. Academy trusts’ status as companies, charities, and public sector bodies means they have a rigorous tri-partite framework and are held up to greater scrutiny.</p><p> </p><p>Academy trusts’ responsibilities on severance payments are set out in the Academy Trust Handbook available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academy-trust-handbook" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academy-trust-handbook</a>. Additional information is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-severance-payments-form" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-severance-payments-form</a>. Data on severance payments is provided in academy trusts’ accounts and at sector level in the Academies Consolidated Annual Report and Accounts, available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts</a>. In each report, severance payments are covered under the ‘Staff Costs’ section. Special severance payment (payments paid to employees outside statutory or contractual requirements) are listed under ‘Losses and Special Payments’. The latest sector data for the Consolidated Annual Report and Accounts year ending 31 August 2022 will be published in autumn 2023.</p><p> </p><p>As the responsibility for maintained schools’ severance payments sits with the school and the local authority, the department does not collect the number of severances or amounts paid by Local Authority maintained schools.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 13/09/2023 16:52:00 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1656123

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Ofsted: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of Ofsted have previous experience in the sector that they regulate.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	195829
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2023 answer text <p>The role of Ofsted’s chair and non-executive board is to determine strategic priorities, objectives and targets for Ofsted, and to provide challenge and support in relation to the inspectorate’s overall work and performance.</p><p>Board members are appointed by the Secretary of State and recruitment processes follow the public appointment guidelines. All board members have the appropriate strategic and corporate expertise to perform their roles effectively. That includes board members with experience of working in the sectors in which Ofsted operates, as well as other relevant experience, including of other regulators, other services and third sector organisations that support children and young people. Ofsted’s board membership is set out here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted/about/our-governance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted/about/our-governance</a>.</p><p>Recruitment of Ofsted’s employees is a matter for Ofsted, as a separate government department. I have therefore asked His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, to write to the hon. Member for Shipley directly on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 11/09/2023 16:00:28 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1649978

registered interest
date	04/07/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Admissions
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 reasons for the difference in the number of men and women entering university.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	192280
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2023 answer text <p>A person’s access to university should not be determined by their personal characteristics, but by their ambition and ability. We want to provide a ladder of opportunity for everyone to get the education and skills they need for job security and prosperity and to support levelling up across the country, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic background.</p><p>There are challenges related to gender representation in higher education (HE). Data shows that more than half (50.6%) of female pupils from state-funded schools in England entered HE by age 19 by 2020/21, compared to 38.4% of males. The gap in progression rates between males and females rose from 11.4 to 12.2 percentage points between 2019/20 and 2020/21.</p><p>We know that prior attainment is a key determinant of successful participation in HE, and that is why we have asked universities to take on a more direct role in driving up the standards in schools.</p><p>Our access and participation reforms announced in 2021 are playing a pivotal role in ensuring that students are supported to access and succeed on the right course for them. As part of this refresh of the system, the Office for Students (OfS) has asked more institutions to set targets for increasing the proportion of level 4 and 5 qualifications, and higher and degree apprenticeships that they offer, so that more students can access flexible and skills-related courses.</p><p>In March 2023, the OfS launched its Equality of Opportunity Risk Register (EORR). This will empower HE providers to deliver interventions for groups of students least likely to experience equal opportunity in HE settings by highlighting 12 key sector risks and the groups most likely to experience these, including gender. We welcome the EORR as a key marker for social justice which will help ensure that no student groups are left behind.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 12/07/2023 16:11:18 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1541452

registered interest
date	11/11/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Department for Education: Civil Servants
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the civil service headcount for their Department was on (a) 15 November 2022 and (b) 1 February 2020.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	84836
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2022 answer text <p>As at 1 February 2020, the headcount of the Department was 7179.</p><p>As at 15 November 2022, the headcount of the Department was 8358.</p><p>This growth reflects a number of key areas, such as emergency response functions in response to COVID-19 and Ukraine, and policy and delivery teams supporting the Department’s skills, schools and families reform agenda. This includes ongoing growth of the academies sector. This also reflects specialist digital, data, and technology, and commercial roles, including replacing managed services where possible to deliver greater value for money.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 21/11/2022 17:46:38 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1541292

registered interest
date	09/11/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Department for Education: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many employees in her Department work on matters related to covid-19.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	83578
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2022 answer text <p>In March 2022, there were approximately 185 employees working in COVID-19 specific teams.</p><p> </p><p>From the end of March 2022, related COVID-19 work has been spread across several teams within the Department. The information on how many employees work on matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 18/11/2022 11:18:21 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1454996

registered interest
date	28/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Department for Education: Public Expenditure
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will detail the losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for his departmental group as defined by section A4.10.7 in HM Treasury's Managing Public Money for (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	148126
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/04/2022 answer text <p>The losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for the departmental group for the years 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 as already held on the record of losses for the public sector organisations within the departmental group, in accordance with Managing Public Money (Annex A4.10.7), or as otherwise held for the purposes of special payment disclosures, are set out in the attached tables. These disclosures are consistent with the organisations’ obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 14/04/2022 16:01:30 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan attachment 1 file name 148126_details_of_losses_and_special_payments.xls title 148126_table
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1435577

registered interest
date	25/02/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Department for Education: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department and its agencies remove all internal covid-19 related policies, restrictions and mask mandates.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	129765
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2022 answer text <p>Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, all Civil Service employers have followed government guidance in setting out their internal COVID-19 related policies. This includes complying with the ‘Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)’ guidance, which sets out the key actions organisations should take to protect employees and customers to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in workplaces. This guidance was followed along with carrying out health and safety risk assessments that include the ongoing risk from COVID-19. It is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19</a>.</p><p>In line with the government's plans to live with COVID-19, the department does not operate a mask mandate, though to encourage individual liberty, it does support an employee’s individual choice to wear a mask if they would like to. The guidance advises that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet, when rates of transmission are high. Civil Service employers will continue to follow this guidance and align their policies accordingly.</p><p>After two years of working from home and hybrid working, all employees are capable of working from home, and we encourage them to follow the government's common sense guidance to work from home if they have COVID-19 and are exhibiting only mild symptoms.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 09/03/2022 18:16:15 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies