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1363086

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Employment Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will maintain the current uplift in the apprenticeship incentive payment until September 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	62709
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2021 answer text <p>The Spending Review has delivered the first increase to employer-led apprenticeships funding since the 2019/20 financial year, with funding for apprenticeships in England growing to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year.</p><p> </p><p>On 4 October 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £500 million expansion of the Plan for Jobs. This included a further extension of the apprenticeship incentive payment to support employers of all sizes to offer apprenticeships.</p><p> </p><p>Employers will be able to claim a £3,000 payment for any apprentice that has an employment start date between 1 October 2021 and 31 January 2022. They will be able to claim for their payment from January 2022. The extended payment makes it a great time for employers to offer new apprenticeship opportunities and take advantage of existing flexibilities to train apprentices in a way that suits their needs.</p><p>We do not plan to further extend the incentives beyond 31 January 2022 but will continue to support employers with the cost of apprenticeship training. The government will pay 95% of apprentice training costs for employers who do not pay the apprenticeship levy, alongside offering the newly improved apprenticeship levy transfers system to help smaller employers fund their apprenticeship training.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 02/11/2021 16:53:35 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1387250

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Department for Education: Carbon Emissions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	91937
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2021 answer text <p>My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced a range of measures at COP26 to put climate change and sustainability at the heart of education. These included a draft sustainability and climate change strategy for the education and children’s services systems, a new national education nature park and climate leaders award.</p><p>The Department for Education’s vision is for the UK education sector to be a world leader in sustainability and climate change by 2030, as set out in the department’s draft sustainability and climate change strategy. The education estate is a key action area within the strategy. We will support the sector in reducing carbon emissions, adapting and mitigating to the worst impacts of climate change, and increasing biodiversity. We will contribute to carbon reduction through delivering new school buildings, improving the existing school estate and engaging users in the process of managing buildings for the greatest impact.</p><p>By 2023 all new school buildings delivered by the Department for Education (not already contracted) will be net zero in operation. We will also continue to develop and test the GenZero prototype for the future new build of schools, designed to be ultra-low in construction carbon and net zero in operation.</p><p>The Department for Education estates’ ambition is to embed sustainability in our business process and achieve our net zero target across all activities by 2050 in line with the Government Property Agency and the UK government commitment.</p><p>We are committed to playing our part to support the labour market transition to net zero. In November last year, we established (jointly with The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) the Green Jobs Taskforce, which has helped to build the evidence on skills and workforce needs in key green sectors.</p><p>That has informed our contribution to the Net Zero Strategy which was published on 19 October. Building on the Skills for Jobs White Paper, the Net Zero Strategy sets out how our skills reforms will strengthen links between employers and providers, support workers in high carbon sectors with the transition, and help to build a pipeline of future talent.</p><p>Our plan for net zero will generate thousands of well-paid jobs here in the UK, help us develop thriving, world-leading green industries, strengthen our energy security, and improve our health and wellbeing. Acting now will put us at the forefront of large, expanding global markets and allow us to capitalise on export opportunities.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 21/12/2021 10:59:49 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1484207

	registered interest
	date	28/06/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Literacy: Travellers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help improve literacy rates in adult Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller populations.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	26746
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2022 answer text <p>The department recognises that literacy rates in the adult Gypsy, Roma and Traveller population is a barrier to a range of activities in their everyday lives and in supporting their children’s education.</p><p> </p><p>The £1.3 billion Adult Education Budget (AEB)for the 2021/22 academic year fully funds or co-funds skills provision from pre-entry to level 3 and this includes statutory entitlements to fully funded courses in English and mathematics, up to and including level 2, for eligible adult learners, including those from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller populations, who have not previously attained a GCSE grade C/4 or higher.</p><p> </p><p>In the 2021/22 academic year, approximately 60% of the AEB has been devolved to 9 Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority . These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the AEB to providers. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas.</p><p> </p><p>The ESFA AEB also includes Community Learning funding which enables more flexible tailored programmes of learning to be made available, which may or may not require a qualification, to help eligible learners engage in learning, develop their skills, including literacy skills, build confidence and/or enhance their wellbeing. Providers are required to prioritise this funding on disadvantaged learners which could include Gypsies, Roma’s and Travellers.</p> answering member constituency Morley and Outwood answering member printed Andrea Jenkyns question first answered 19/07/2022 16:43:19 answering member 4490 label Biography information for Dame Andrea Jenkyns
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1506302

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Vocational Education: Qualifications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the quality of technical qualifications.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	49630
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2022 answer text <p>The department is reforming technical education to ensure that all post-16 students have access to high quality technical options that support progression and meet employer needs. This includes the introduction of T Levels, new technical qualifications designed with employers, reviewing the technical qualifications we continue to fund at level 3 and below, and introducing new Higher Technical qualifications.</p><p> </p><p>We are putting employers at the heart of the skills system and boosting the quality of qualifications on offer by basing them on employer-led occupational standards so that all students leave education with the skills most needed by industry.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Morley and Outwood answering member printed Andrea Jenkyns question first answered 22/09/2022 11:58:27 answering member 4490 label Biography information for Dame Andrea Jenkyns
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1506303

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Academic Freedom
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to protect freedom of speech in universities.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	49631
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2022 answer text <p>I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Hendon, to the answer I gave on 20 July 2022, to Question <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-06-28/26904" target="_blank">26904</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Morley and Outwood answering member printed Andrea Jenkyns question first answered 22/09/2022 12:00:47 answering member 4490 label Biography information for Dame Andrea Jenkyns
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1524151

	registered interest
	date	19/10/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of student accommodation in England.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	66950
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2022 answer text <p>Higher education and private accommodation providers are autonomous. The department plays no direct role in the provision of student residential accommodation, whether the accommodation is managed by universities or private sector organisations.</p><p>Neither the Department for Education nor the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities have made an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of student accommodation in England. It is for local areas, through their Local Plans and in response to local needs and concerns, to determine the level of student accommodation required in their area.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Morley and Outwood answering member printed Andrea Jenkyns question first answered 25/10/2022 16:27:38 answering member 4490 label Biography information for Dame Andrea Jenkyns
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1005908

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Vocational Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve options for young people outside of academic study and qualifications.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	190438
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2018 answer text <p>Following our reforms to apprenticeships, we are making significant reforms to technical education, the centrepiece being the introduction of T levels - a high quality and rigorous technical alternative to academic education. T levels will be two-year classroom-based technical training programmes for 16 to 19 year olds, which include a technical qualification, work placement, English and maths and any other components required by employers. The first teaching of T levels will begin in September 2020 with all routes available from September 2022. We will be investing up to an additional £500 million a year on T levels once fully rolled out.</p><p>This builds on our reforms to apprenticeships, making them longer, better, with more off-the-job training and proper assessment at the end. We are also encouraging employers to take on younger apprentices aged 16 to 18, through incentives to employers and training providers. We have also introduced a new careers strategy which sets out how we will go further to make sure that young people can talk regularly to employers and training providers while they are still at school. This includes a new law, requiring all maintained schools and academies to make sure that there is an opportunity for a range of providers to talk to pupils from years 8 to 13 about approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships, so that they are aware of the different options.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 20/11/2018 16:14:08 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1005911

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Further Education: Disadvantaged
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to remove barriers preventing students from disadvantaged backgrounds participate in further education.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	190440
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2018 answer text <p>The 16 to 19 funding arrangements for school and college places include an element of disadvantage funding. This element of the funding is for providers to attract, retain and support disadvantaged students and to support students with special educational needs and disabilities. Disadvantage funding is provided to institutions for students with low prior attainment or for students who live in the most disadvantaged areas. For the 2018/19 academic year, we have allocated approximately £510 million to institutions for 16 to 19 year olds to provide extra support for students from disadvantaged areas.</p><p>The department also provides financial support for 16 to 19 year olds who are economically disadvantaged to help with costs associated with staying in post-16 education such as travel and course equipment. The 16-19 Bursary Fund is the main programme, but there is also residential and childcare support available. These programmes aim to enable 16 to 19 year olds to participate in education whatever their financial situation.</p><p>For those aged 19 and above, the Adult Education Budget provides financial support to help adult learners to overcome barriers that prevent them from taking part in learning. Through learner support, colleges and training providers have the discretion and flexibility to help learners meet costs such as travel, books, equipment and childcare. In addition, learning support, such as equipment, an interpreter or support worker, is available to meet the needs of learners with learning difficulties or disabilities. If the cost of support exceeds the fixed monthly rate that providers can claim or if the cost of support exceeds £19,000 per learner per year, providers can apply for exceptional learning support.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 20/11/2018 16:17:08 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1006879

	registered interest
	date	14/11/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Further Education: Pay and Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the increase in salary and pension costs in the further education sector in the next 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	191391
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2018 answer text <p>It is the responsibility of individual employers within the further education sector to set the salaries of their staff. For the period of 2019 to 2020, we estimate that £80 million more will need to be put into the Teacher Pensions Scheme by further education employers as a result of the recent revaluation.</p><p>Our intention is to fund general further education colleges and sixth form colleges, specialist designated institutions and adult and community learning providers for the increased costs resulting from the changes to the valuation of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.</p><p>We will undertake a public consultation to make sure that we are allocating funding to where it is most needed. We expect to launch the consultation in December, with a response in January 2019. As the Local Government Pensions Scheme is due to be revalued in 2019, we are therefore unable to make estimates about employer costs until that valuation is completed.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 22/11/2018 15:05:59 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1110568

	registered interest
	date	09/04/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Department for Education: Disclosure of Information
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has entered into with departmental staff in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	242809
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2019 answer text <p>The department does not use non-disclosure agreements.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 16/04/2019 09:13:39 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1491058

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children in Care: Regulation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the prevalence of looked-after children being accommodated in unauthorised and unregulated homes in England.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	40767
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>Supported accommodation, sometimes referred to as unregulated provision, is not currently subject to Ofsted registration and inspection. This type of provision cannot meet the needs of children under the age of 16 and the department banned the placement of under-16s in this type of provision from September 2021.</p><p>The department will invest over £142 million across the next three years to fund the introduction of new mandatory national standards, Ofsted registration, and inspection for providers of supported accommodation. This means that all placements accommodating looked after children and care leavers up to age 18 will be regulated by Ofsted. This will enable Ofsted to take action against poor providers and ensure children live in safe and high-quality accommodation that meet their needs. Further information on the department’s plans to reform this area is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transformational-investment-in-childrens-social-care-placements" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transformational-investment-in-childrens-social-care-placements</a>.</p><p>On 14 July 2022, the department published transparency data on looked after children in independent or semi-independent placements, to be referred to as supported accommodation, following the reforms. The data for the reporting year 2021 is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/looked-after-children-aged-16-to-17-in-independent-or-semi-independent-placements/2021#dataBlock-b56c1048-47a3-4114-02ee-08da60b29403-tables" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/looked-after-children-aged-16-to-17-in-independent-or-semi-independent-placements/2021#dataBlock-b56c1048-47a3-4114-02ee-08da60b29403-tables</a>. This report provided important context for the first set of regulations, which was laid before Parliament on 18 July 2022, that will deliver reforms to this provision. This was an ad-hoc release and, as confirmed in the report, will not be produced annually. The looked after children in independent and semi-independent settings data that is published annually by the department is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions</a>.</p><p>Ofsted has the legal powers to prosecute illegal unregistered children’s homes. To date they have not brought a prosecution against a provider of an unregistered children’s home. These powers will be extended to cover supported accommodation providers from autumn 2023. As an independent body and regulator, decisions on who and whether to prosecute, are made by Ofsted.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bassetlaw answering member printed Brendan Clarke-Smith grouped question UIN 40768 question first answered 05/09/2022 08:34:56 answering member 4756 label Biography information for Brendan Clarke-Smith
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1491059

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children in Care: Regulation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many prosecutions there have been in response to Ofsted having found looked-after children being placed in unregulated accommodation.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	40768
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>Supported accommodation, sometimes referred to as unregulated provision, is not currently subject to Ofsted registration and inspection. This type of provision cannot meet the needs of children under the age of 16 and the department banned the placement of under-16s in this type of provision from September 2021.</p><p>The department will invest over £142 million across the next three years to fund the introduction of new mandatory national standards, Ofsted registration, and inspection for providers of supported accommodation. This means that all placements accommodating looked after children and care leavers up to age 18 will be regulated by Ofsted. This will enable Ofsted to take action against poor providers and ensure children live in safe and high-quality accommodation that meet their needs. Further information on the department’s plans to reform this area is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transformational-investment-in-childrens-social-care-placements" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transformational-investment-in-childrens-social-care-placements</a>.</p><p>On 14 July 2022, the department published transparency data on looked after children in independent or semi-independent placements, to be referred to as supported accommodation, following the reforms. The data for the reporting year 2021 is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/looked-after-children-aged-16-to-17-in-independent-or-semi-independent-placements/2021#dataBlock-b56c1048-47a3-4114-02ee-08da60b29403-tables" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/looked-after-children-aged-16-to-17-in-independent-or-semi-independent-placements/2021#dataBlock-b56c1048-47a3-4114-02ee-08da60b29403-tables</a>. This report provided important context for the first set of regulations, which was laid before Parliament on 18 July 2022, that will deliver reforms to this provision. This was an ad-hoc release and, as confirmed in the report, will not be produced annually. The looked after children in independent and semi-independent settings data that is published annually by the department is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions</a>.</p><p>Ofsted has the legal powers to prosecute illegal unregistered children’s homes. To date they have not brought a prosecution against a provider of an unregistered children’s home. These powers will be extended to cover supported accommodation providers from autumn 2023. As an independent body and regulator, decisions on who and whether to prosecute, are made by Ofsted.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bassetlaw answering member printed Brendan Clarke-Smith grouped question UIN 40767 question first answered 05/09/2022 08:34:56 answering member 4756 label Biography information for Brendan Clarke-Smith
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1491063

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Care Leavers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of enabling care leavers to continue to live with their carers by extending funding for the Staying Close scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	40772
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>The department has recently announced funding of £36 million over the next three years to extend the Staying Close programme, so that more care leavers leaving children’s homes get move-on accommodation and support from a trusted adult.</p><p>Since the 2017/18 financial year, Staying Close has been piloted by five local authorities and three private children’s homes providers. Independent evaluations of the Staying Close pilots were published in November 2020 and reported that Staying Close is helping to provide young people with smoother transitions from residential care to adulthood.</p><p>The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care has also recommended that Staying Close should be a legal entitlement, and extended to age 23. The department is now considering the recommendations carefully and will publish an implementation strategy later this year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bassetlaw answering member printed Brendan Clarke-Smith question first answered 05/09/2022 07:56:09 answering member 4756 label Biography information for Brendan Clarke-Smith
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1130365

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Universities: Suicide
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has published on suicide prevention strategies for universities.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	261189
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2019 answer text <p>Mental health is a priority for the government, which is why we have worked with Universities UK, the Office for Students, and other stakeholders in the higher education sector to develop guidance on measures to help prevent suicide. This guidance was published in September 2018, ahead of the 2018/19 academic year, and can be found here: <a href="https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Pages/guidance-for-universities-on-preventing-student-suicides.aspx" target="_blank">https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Pages/guidance-for-universities-on-preventing-student-suicides.aspx</a>.</p><p>In addition, the government has published the first cross-government suicide prevention plan for wider society. The plan, led by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, sets out actions for local government, the NHS, the criminal justice system and the Department for Education in relation to universities. The plan focuses on how social media and the latest technology, such as predictive analytics and artificial intelligence, can identify those at risk of suicide. It can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-ever-cross-government-suicide-prevention-plan-published" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-ever-cross-government-suicide-prevention-plan-published</a>.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 12/06/2019 16:02:54 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1130370

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Universities: Pay
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage pay restraint among university vice chancellors.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	261194
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2019 answer text <p>Universities are autonomous institutions and they are responsible for setting the pay of their staff, including vice-chancellors. However, students and taxpayers all contribute to our higher education system and rightly expect value for money. We want to see senior staff pay in universities that is fair and justifiable. The process for setting pay must be transparent.</p><p>The Office for Students (OfS) requires universities to publish full details in their financial statements of the total remuneration package of their vice chancellor, including bonuses, pension contributions, and other taxable benefits. Universities must also publish a justification for this remuneration package, and the pay multiple of the vice chancellor's remuneration compared with that of all other employees.</p><p>My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s February 2019 strategic guidance letter to the OfS reiterated that ‘high pay must be justified by high performance’. It further stated that ‘Where issues with senior staff pay lead to concerns over governance, the OfS should consider carrying out independent reviews of the adequacy and effectiveness of management and governance at providers and to require improvements, where necessary, to ensure that these arrangements are fit for purpose’.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 12/06/2019 15:58:11 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1140179

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Universities: Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of sexual offences committed on university campuses in each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	278962
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The department does not collect information on the number of sexual offences committed on university campuses. The responsibility for this, and for meeting legal obligations, lies with individual higher education (HE) providers.</p><p> </p><p>The government expects HE providers to keep records of incidents disclosed to them and act swiftly to investigate and address them. It is important to recognise that under-reporting is common and HE providers should continue to break down barriers to reporting by ensuring that students and staff feel safe and are able to disclose sexual misconduct.</p><p> </p><p>The government takes all forms of sexual harassment extremely seriously. Therefore, the government is working closely with Universities UK (UUK) and the Office for Students (OfS) to support work to address sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination in HE institutions. This includes implementation of the UUK’s sexual violence and harassment taskforce’s recommendations on handling of reports and disclosures, as well as enabling accurate data to be captured to determine the scale of the problem and track year on-year trends.</p><p> </p><p>The government expects HE providers to take these recommendations seriously. Furthermore, the government has tasked the OfS to support this work. The OfS have invested £2.45 million in projects tackling sexual harassment, including supporting the development and improvement of reporting procedures.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 23/07/2019 16:43:01 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1168289

	registered interest
	date	19/12/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Academic Freedom
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he will take to promote (a) diversity of thought and (b) freedom of expression on university campuses.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	87
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2020 answer text <p>This government will ensure that our universities are places where free speech can thrive, and will strengthen academic freedoms.</p><p>The freedom to express views openly, challenge ideas and engage in robust debate is crucial to the student experience and to democracy. Individuals should never be in a position where they can be stopped from, or are made to feel inhibited in, expressing an opinion perfectly lawfully. Similarly, universities should be places where students are exposed to a range of views, including those which may be controversial, and are encouraged to debate and challenge them.</p><p>Free speech is protected in universities by law and is embedded in the Office for Students’ Regulatory Framework. Under the Education (No 2) Act 1986, universities have a specific duty to take reasonably practicable steps to secure freedom of speech within the law for staff, students and visiting speakers. The government worked with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, who published new guidance in February 2019 on freedom of speech in higher education to support higher education providers and students’ unions in delivering their duties.</p><p>The government will be looking closely at how well higher education providers are meeting these obligations and will consider whether further action is needed, working with a range of partners.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 07/01/2020 16:24:03 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1169582

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2020
	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, what steps his Department has taken to introduce Sharia compliant student loans.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	1442
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2020 answer text <p>The government remains committed to introducing an Alternative Student Finance product for tuition fee and maintenance loans. Details on implementation will follow the conclusion of the review of post-18 education and funding.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 13/01/2020 14:57:02 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1542450

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
	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 increase the number of school places available for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	87819
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2022 answer text <p>The department is investing £2.6 billion between 2022 and 2025 to support local authorities to deliver new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities or who require alternative provision. This represents a significant, transformational investment in new high needs provision. It will support local authorities to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings, and will also be used to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.</p><p>As part of this commitment, in March 2022 the department announced High Needs Provision Capital Allocations amounting to over £1.4 billion of new investment, focused on the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. It is ultimately up to local authorities to determine how to best prioritise their funding to address their local priorities.</p><p>The £2.6 billion capital investment in high needs provision announced in October 2021 will also help to deliver up to 60 new special and alternative provision free schools. This is in addition to the 48 special free schools already in the pipeline and 90 special free schools already opened.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 22/11/2022 10:00:29 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1606054

	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	Foster Care: Barnet
	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 increase the number of foster care placements in the London Borough of Barnet.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	170580
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/03/2023 answer text <p>The department is taking action nationally to increase the number of foster care places available.</p><p>We are investing over £3 million to deliver an initial fostering recruitment and retention programme in the North East Regional Improvement and Innovation Alliance. This will introduce a regional support hub to support individuals interested in applying to foster, facilitate targeted communications, and improve retention with the evidence-based model Mockingbird. The department will then expand our recruitment and retention programme from 2023 by investing over £24 million, offering more areas of the country the opportunity to implement end-to-end improvements in fostering recruitment and retention.</p><p>The department also continues to fund Fosterline and Fosterline Plus, a free-to-access helpline and support service for current and prospective foster carers, to provide high quality, independent information and advice on a range of issues. ​</p><p>In recognition of the increasing costs of living, the department is also raising the National Minimum Allowance (NMA). Foster carers will benefit from a 12.43% increase to the NMA. In addition, changes to tax and benefit allowances announced in the 2023 Spring Budget represent an average tax cut of £450 per year for foster carers, as well as simplifying the process for self-assessment returns for most foster carers. This above inflation increase in allowance and changes to tax arrangement will help foster parents cover the increasing costs of caring for a child in their home and support prospective foster carers to feel confident taking a child into their home.​</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 30/03/2023 16:55:12 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1646702

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have received an Education, Health and Care plan from their local authority in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	190794
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2023 answer text <p>The requested information is available in the National Statistics publication on Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, accessible at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans</a>. The latest available data shows 66,400 new EHC plans were made across the 152 local authorities in England during the 2022 calendar year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 30/06/2023 13:48:44 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1646703

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money has been allocated to local authorities to produce Education, Health and Care plans in each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	190795
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2023 answer text <p>The government continues to support local authorities with their core budgets, which have increased to £59.7 billion for the next financial year. Local authorities have the flexibility to spend according to local needs and priorities, including to undertake Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments.</p><p>Where an EHC plan is issued by a local authority, the local authority is under a statutory duty to secure the special educational provision set out in the EHC plan. Local areas will have their own arrangements to allocate the funding necessary to secure this provision, using the local authority’s High Needs Budget.</p><p>High needs revenue funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is increasing to £10.1 billion for the 2023/24 financial year, which is an increase of nearly £1 billion from last year’s allocations and over 50% from the 2019/20 allocations.</p><p>Every local authority in England will see a minimum per-head increase of 9.8% in their total high needs allocations in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23.</p><p>The local authority must complete the whole EHC process as soon as practicable, and in any event, within 20 weeks of the local authority receiving a request for an EHC needs assessment, as per The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.</p><p>Information on EHC plans is collected as part of the annual Special Education Needs 2 (SEN2) data collection and is published in the ‘Education, Health and Care Plans’ statistical publication, available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans</a>.</p><p>The department does not currently hold the average length of time that an EHC plan takes to be drafted for an individual child. To provide this would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho grouped question UIN 190796 190797 question first answered 30/06/2023 13:24:13 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1646704

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of the number of unfunded Education, Health and Care plans for children in England in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	190796
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2023 answer text <p>The government continues to support local authorities with their core budgets, which have increased to £59.7 billion for the next financial year. Local authorities have the flexibility to spend according to local needs and priorities, including to undertake Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments.</p><p>Where an EHC plan is issued by a local authority, the local authority is under a statutory duty to secure the special educational provision set out in the EHC plan. Local areas will have their own arrangements to allocate the funding necessary to secure this provision, using the local authority’s High Needs Budget.</p><p>High needs revenue funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is increasing to £10.1 billion for the 2023/24 financial year, which is an increase of nearly £1 billion from last year’s allocations and over 50% from the 2019/20 allocations.</p><p>Every local authority in England will see a minimum per-head increase of 9.8% in their total high needs allocations in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23.</p><p>The local authority must complete the whole EHC process as soon as practicable, and in any event, within 20 weeks of the local authority receiving a request for an EHC needs assessment, as per The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.</p><p>Information on EHC plans is collected as part of the annual Special Education Needs 2 (SEN2) data collection and is published in the ‘Education, Health and Care Plans’ statistical publication, available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans</a>.</p><p>The department does not currently hold the average length of time that an EHC plan takes to be drafted for an individual child. To provide this would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho grouped question UIN 190795 190797 question first answered 30/06/2023 13:24:14 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1646705

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of the average length of time that an Education, Health and Care plan takes to be drafted for an individual child.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	190797
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2023 answer text <p>The government continues to support local authorities with their core budgets, which have increased to £59.7 billion for the next financial year. Local authorities have the flexibility to spend according to local needs and priorities, including to undertake Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments.</p><p>Where an EHC plan is issued by a local authority, the local authority is under a statutory duty to secure the special educational provision set out in the EHC plan. Local areas will have their own arrangements to allocate the funding necessary to secure this provision, using the local authority’s High Needs Budget.</p><p>High needs revenue funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is increasing to £10.1 billion for the 2023/24 financial year, which is an increase of nearly £1 billion from last year’s allocations and over 50% from the 2019/20 allocations.</p><p>Every local authority in England will see a minimum per-head increase of 9.8% in their total high needs allocations in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23.</p><p>The local authority must complete the whole EHC process as soon as practicable, and in any event, within 20 weeks of the local authority receiving a request for an EHC needs assessment, as per The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.</p><p>Information on EHC plans is collected as part of the annual Special Education Needs 2 (SEN2) data collection and is published in the ‘Education, Health and Care Plans’ statistical publication, available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans</a>.</p><p>The department does not currently hold the average length of time that an EHC plan takes to be drafted for an individual child. To provide this would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho grouped question UIN 190795 190796 question first answered 30/06/2023 13:24:14 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1675112

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Foreign Nationals: Secondary Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the annual cost of educating a non-English speaking child in secondary schools.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	4968
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2023 answer text <p>Schools have autonomy over how they use their budgets, as they are best placed to assess the needs of their pupils who have English as an additional language (EAL), as well as the type of support they need.</p><p> </p><p>Pupils with EAL, and who have started in the state-funded school system in England within the last three years, attract additional funding to their school through the EAL factor in the schools National Funding Formula (NFF). In the 2024/25 financial year, 1.1% (£484 million) of the total funding in the NFF will be allocated through the EAL factor (for both primary and secondary pupils). For secondary school pupils specifically, total EAL funding for 2024/25 is £141 million, with the EAL factor set at £1,585 per eligible secondary pupil.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 11/12/2023 16:47:20 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord