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1386205

	registered interest
	date	08/12/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	National Tutoring Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Tuition Partners pillar of the National Tutoring Programme, how many pupils have (a) been enrolled against the target of 524,000 for 2021-22 and (b) had at least one tutoring session as of 8 December 2021; how many schools have booked in tutoring; and whether those figures are above, below or on target for this point in the academic year.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	89550
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2021 answer text <p>National Tutoring Programme participation data for last year has not yet been published.</p><p>We continue to collect data from schools for all three strands of the programme in the current year and will be publishing this in due course. This covers School-Led Tutoring, Tuition Partners and Academic Mentors.</p><p>The National Tutoring Programme aims to engage up to 2 million pupils this year, and to deliver up to 90 million <del class="ministerial">packages</del> <ins class="ministerial">hours</ins> of tuition by the 2024/25 academic year.</p><p><strong><br /> </strong></p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 14/12/2021 14:44:51 question first ministerially corrected 10/01/2022 12:52:15 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker previous answer version 38324 answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1023198

	registered interest
	date	11/12/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Healthy Schools Rating Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the finding of Ofsted's 2018 thematic review that 26 per cent of primary schools are implementing the requirements of the national curriculum to deliver practical cookery education, when the Government plans to implement a healthy schools rating scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	201162
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>We remain committed to delivering the healthy schools rating scheme in a way that makes the most of existing resources available to schools. We have met with a wide range of stakeholders, as well as a number of interested suppliers, to discuss the best way to deliver the scheme. We are preparing our scheme based on testing and stakeholder feedback and will continue to work with stakeholders across government, the food sector and charitable organisations. We will share more information shortly.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 18/12/2018 11:11:07 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1023899

	registered interest
	date	12/12/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Healthy Schools Rating Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education,with reference to the Government document entitled Childhood obesity: a plan for action, published in August 2016, when the Government plans to implement the healthy schools rating scheme set out in that plan.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	201625
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>I refer my right hon. Friend, the member for Harlow, to the answer I gave on 18 December 2018 to Question <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-12-11/201162/" target="_blank">201162</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 18/12/2018 14:51:03 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1024699

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, by how much the apprenticeship budget is set to be overspent in the academic year (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	202058
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>By 2019/20, the funding available for apprenticeships in England will have risen to over £2.5 billion, which is more than double what it was in 2010, including the additional £115 million confirmed in this year’s budget.</p><p>Spending on the apprenticeship programme is demand-led. Therefore, employers can choose which apprenticeships they offer, the level of the apprenticeships and when they offer the apprenticeships. Furthermore, levy payers have two years to spend the funds available to them. For the 2018-19 and 2019-20 financial years, the fully audited accounts are due to be published following the end of the respective financial year.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 18/12/2018 18:25:29 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1038494

	registered interest
	date	09/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Vocational Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what sanctions are available to (a) Ofsted, (b) Regional Schools Commissioners and (c) his Department to ensure that schools comply with section 2 of the Further Education and Technical Act 2017.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	206808
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>Section 2 of the Technical and Further Education Act (2017), often referred to as the ‘Baker Clause’, requires all maintained schools and academies to make sure that there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to meet pupils in year 8 to year 13 for the purpose of informing them about approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships.</p><p>We introduced the ‘Baker Clause’ in January 2018 and published statutory guidance on careers guidance and on access for education and training providers which explains what schools must do to comply with this law. This is available at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-provision-for-young-people-in-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-provision-for-young-people-in-schools</a>.</p><p>In the event of suspected non-compliance with the duty and statutory guidance, our approach is for the parties involved to try to resolve the matter locally. This might include Regional Schools Commissioners or local authorities discussing and addressing any barriers to compliance with multi-academy trusts, individual academies or maintained schools.</p><p>If the department finds fault with a school’s policies following a complaint, then remedial action could be taken. This could include an official or a minister from the department writing to the school and, ultimately, the possibility of the Secretary of State using intervention powers.</p><p>Regarding Ofsted, this is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the right hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 16/01/2019 11:30:33 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1039013

	registered interest
	date	10/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Taxation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his oral contribution of 17 December 2018, Official Report Column 509, if he will place in the Library a copy of the 30 November 2018 presentation by the Institute for Apprenticeships at Exeter College citing the projected £500 million overspend on the apprenticeship levy budget.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	207232
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2019 answer text <p>The Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) is a non-departmental public body, independent of government. The IfA are considering whether it would be appropriate to publish the presentation given at Exeter College on 30 November 2018.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 15/01/2019 18:00:13 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1039014

	registered interest
	date	10/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Finance
	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 18 December 2018 to Question 202058 on apprentices: finance, by what means his Department controls expenditure in a demand-led apprenticeship programme; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent an overspend in each of the next three years.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	207233
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2019 answer text <p>The departmental budget for spending on apprenticeships in England from 2015-16 to 2019-20 was set initially in the 2015 Spending Review, based on forecast demand and considering factors such as historical start levels.</p><p>Funding bands set the maximum that government will contribute towards the training and assessment costs of an individual apprenticeship and are set to achieve high-quality delivery while securing value for money. The Institute for Apprenticeships makes regular recommendations on the pricing of standards, and in 2018 we introduced additional funding bands to ensure that all standards are funded at the appropriate level.</p><p>We also set the amount of funding available for supporting non-levy payers, which is delivered through contracts with training providers: currently government pays 90% of training and assessment costs and 100% for the smallest employers who take on 16 to 18 year olds. We have awarded funding totalling more than £500 million to providers across the country between January 2018 and March 2019. This  includes more than £70 million growth funding.</p><p>We constantly monitor levels of spend and forecast demand and consider the overall budget position, including as part of the wider departmental position.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 15/01/2019 16:46:36 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1054028

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	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	What steps he is taking to ensure that (a) academies and (b) local authority maintained schools comply with section 2 of the Further Education and Technical Act 2017; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	908969
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>Inviting providers of technical education into schools is vital to give all pupils a full picture of their options. We are writing to local authorities to make sure that schools comply.</p><p>We have written to the largest multi academy trusts currently not meeting the duty, reminding them what is required, and will take further action if we have evidence schools are still not complying.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 04/02/2019 17:29:03 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1061264

	registered interest
	date	14/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Department for Education: Apprentices
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprentices are employed in his Department.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	221748
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2019 answer text <p>As of 31 January 2019, the Department for Education employed 209 apprentices.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 22/02/2019 10:09:32 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1063765

	registered interest
	date	18/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Private Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of independent schools in England do not meet his Department's independent school standards.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	222700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2019 answer text <p>It is not possible to say how many independent schools are not meeting the standards at any one time. Meeting the standards is a condition of continued registration as an independent school, but the principal means of ascertaining compliance is through the inspection system.</p><p>Independent schools are normally inspected every 3 years and more often if they have been found not to be meeting the standards, until they improve. Therefore, at any one time, a particular school may be awaiting inspection and may or may not be meeting the standards or be under regulatory action and in the process of achieving compliance once again.</p><p>A statement on the regulation of independent schools is published at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulating-independent-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulating-independent-schools</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 21/02/2019 17:54:35 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1086795

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Selective Schools Expansion Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, from which of his Department's budgets the Selective School Expansion Fund will be funded.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	230852
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2019 answer text <p>The Selective School Expansion Fund is one of the programmes funded from within the department’s capital budget. New capital funding to support this programme was announced at Autumn Statement 2016.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 19/03/2019 17:35:09 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1086796

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Free Schools: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has allocated any funding for free schools to other policy areas in the past 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	230853
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2019 answer text <p>Published budgets represent our best estimate of how money will be spent this year. In-year changes to the delivery of construction programmes, including the free schools programme, do not impact on the overall budget for those programmes. Any change to those estimates is managed within the Department’s overall capital budget.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is investing £23 billion in the school estate in the current Spending Review period (2016-17 to 2020-21), including the free schools programme. There are 443 free schools open across the country. The Department is working with proposers to establish up to a further 263 free schools, and in the 2017 Budget, announced funding towards the cost of approving an additional 110 new schools.</p><p> </p><p>Details on 2018-19 capital budgets can be found in the Department’s ‘Supplementary Estimate’, available at: <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Education/Estimates-Memoranda/doe-Supplementary-Estimate-17-19.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Education/Estimates-Memoranda/doe-Supplementary-Estimate-17-19.pdf</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 19/03/2019 15:28:21 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1086798

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Alternative Education: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has diverted any funds that had been allocated to the improvement and expansion of alternative provision to other policy areas in the past 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	230854
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to reforming alternative provision and published the plan ‘Creating opportunity for all: Our vision for alternative provision’ in March 2018. In August the projects funded by the Department’s £4 million alternative provision (AP) Innovation Fund began. The Department also commissioned external research into the AP market and AP practice which was published in October 2018. On 11 March 2019, the Department launched competitions for 2 new AP free schools, having assessed bids from local authorities who had worked in partnership with local schools in their area. The document ‘Creating opportunity for all’ can be found here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/713665/Creating_opportunity_for_all_-_AP_roadmap.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/713665/Creating_opportunity_for_all_-_AP_roadmap.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>As alternative provision is predominately funded through the high needs funding block of local authorities’ dedicated schools grant, the sector will benefit from my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State’s December announcement that an extra £250 million would be allocated for high needs funding. This was on top of the increases already promised, across the current and next financial year, bringing the total to £6.1 billion in 2018/19, and £6.3 billion in 2019/20.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 19/03/2019 17:26:01 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1130384

	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	Apprentices
	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 effect on the impartiality of Ofsted of that organisation being responsible for the inspection of the quality of apprenticeships.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	261188
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>Ofsted is a non-ministerial department, which reports directly to Parliament. It inspects services providing education and skills for learners of all ages and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. Its role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training and care services in England for children and students do so to a high standard. Ofsted inspects a range of provider types and different types of provision, including apprenticeships. It does so impartially, as an independent body.</p><p>For more information on how Ofsted inspects apprenticeships, please see the current Further Education and Skills Inspection Handbook here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-and-skills-inspection-handbook" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-and-skills-inspection-handbook</a> An updated version of the Handbook, released under the new Education Inspection Framework, is due to take effect from September 2019 and can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-and-skills-inspection-handbook-eif" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-and-skills-inspection-handbook-eif</a></p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 13/06/2019 13:17:14 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1173515

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Further Education: Teachers
	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 attract further education college teachers in subject areas where there are skill deficits.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	8243
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2020 answer text <p>Since 2013-14, we have invested over £140 million in further education (FE) teachers and leaders, including for workforce development, through the independent Education and Training Foundation.</p><p>In the 2 years to March 2020, we will have invested up to £20 million to support providers as they prepare for the introduction of T levels. This investment includes £5 million for Taking Teaching Further, a national programme that tests how best to attract experienced industry professionals into teaching in FE and how best to support an ongoing exchange between FE and industry. The programme focusses on supporting priority sectors, including the technical routes that will be taught first.</p><p>As part of our £400 million 16-19 funding increase in the 2020-21 financial year, we are investing a further £20 million in FE workforce development to help boost teacher recruitment and retention, for which we will announce more details soon.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 04/02/2020 15:40:59 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1173517

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Further Education: Special Educational Needs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the £780 million of funding allocated to special educational needs in 2020-21 will be provided to further education colleges to help them support students with those needs.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	8244
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2020 answer text <p>Next year, we are providing a cash increase of £780 million in the high needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant, an increase of 12% compared to this year, bringing the total amount for supporting those with the most complex special educational needs to £7.2 billion.</p><p> </p><p>Although the Department for Education allocates a small amount of this funding directly to further education colleges, the vast majority of this funding is allocated to local authorities. Local authorities are then responsible for securing appropriate support for children and young people with complex special education needs, including support provided in further education colleges. In 2021 local authorities will report information about their spending on high needs in 2020-21, including how much they provided to further education colleges.</p><p> </p><p>The latest available actual expenditure data reported by local authorities, for 2018-19, shows that they spent £373 million on special educational needs provision in further education.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 04/02/2020 17:24:50 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1178909

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to promote apprenticeships to young people in (a) Harlow and (b) the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	18383
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2020 answer text <p>We have introduced a wide range of reforms to improve the quality of apprenticeships and to encourage employers across England to create more high-quality apprenticeship opportunities.</p><p> </p><p>Since May 2010, there have been 4,392,000 apprenticeship starts in England. Of these, 7,200 apprenticeships starts have been in the Harlow parliamentary constituency.</p><p> </p><p>From August 2020, all starts will be on the new apprenticeship standards which are replacing existing frameworks. These are designed and driven by industry to create apprenticeships that are high-quality providing employers in Harlow, and across England, with the skills they need. Over 510 standards have already been approved for delivery to apprentices.</p><p> </p><p>We are working hard to encourage take up of our apprenticeship programme. The third phase of the Fire it Up campaign launched in January 2020 with a planned media investment for this phase of £2.9 million. It is targeting certain groups to widen participation in apprenticeships. Our 13<sup>th</sup> annual National Apprenticeship Week took place in February 2020. Nearly 900 events were held across the country, aiming to change perceptions of apprenticeships.</p><p>In January 2018, we introduced a legal requirement for schools to give training providers the chance to talk to pupils about technical qualifications and apprenticeships, so that young people hear about the alternatives to academic routes.</p><p> </p><p>We also offer a free service to schools through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge for Schools and Colleges (ASK) programme to ensure that teachers have the knowledge and support to enable them to promote apprenticeships to their students. In the last academic year, ASK reached over 300,000 students throughout England. In Harlow, ASK has worked with 8 schools and colleges and has engaged with 840 students in the last three academic years.</p><p> </p><p>In the 2019-20 financial year, funding available for investment in apprenticeships in England is over £2.5 billion – double what was spent in 2010. This is supporting employers of all sizes, across England, to provide high-quality apprenticeship opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds. We are moving smaller employers onto our award-winning apprenticeship service to give them a greater choice of training providers. They can also benefit from transferred funds from levy payers. Levy transfers can help to support new starts in supply chains and address local skills needs.</p><p> </p><p>Essex County Council and the South East Local Enterprise Partnership are members of the East of England Apprenticeship Ambassador Network. They are working with local employers to take advantage of transfers to support more small- and medium-sized employers in the area to offer apprenticeships.</p> answering member constituency Chichester answering member printed Gillian Keegan question first answered 02/03/2020 16:53:52 answering member 4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1179321

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Prisoners
	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 introduce prison apprenticeships with the same standards as other apprenticeships.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	18578
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2020 answer text <p>Apprenticeships are paid jobs which include high-quality on-the-job and off-the-job training. All apprentices must hold a contract of employment, which means they are not currently available to prisoners.</p><p>The government recognises how important it is that those in custody are given the support, training, and routes into employment that best meets the needs of individuals, and their future employers. The department’s apprenticeship programme is supporting this by working with the Department for Work and Pensions, Youth Offending teams and local employers, to consider pilot schemes which promote and encourage apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities to ex-offenders and those at risk of offending aged 16-24.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice also supports a wider range of provision to support prisoners into employment on release and governors can now commission specific provision aimed at meeting the needs of their prisoners and local labour markets. This includes the New Futures Network, created in 2018 to broker partnerships between prisons and employers, helping businesses fill skills gaps and prisoners to find employment on release. Information, advice and guidance services are also available in prisons to help prisoners identify career aims and work towards achieving these.</p><p>The Department for Education and the Ministry of Justice are at the early stages of exploring the potential costs and benefits of the various options for a potential future prison apprenticeships programme to complement existing schemes. We would expect that a prison apprenticeship programme will need to use the same standards and frameworks as all apprenticeships.</p><p>At this time, we have not made any estimates of the time required to develop models of delivery for prison apprenticeships. We will consider any discussions with employers and Cabinet colleagues once we have first established the practicalities and value of a potential prison apprenticeship programme.</p> answering member constituency Chichester answering member printed Gillian Keegan grouped question UIN 18579 18580 18751 18754 18755 question first answered 02/03/2020 17:54:05 answering member 4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1179322

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Prisoners
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on (a) developing, (b) overseeing and (c) monitoring a prison apprenticeship programme.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	18579
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2020 answer text <p>Apprenticeships are paid jobs which include high-quality on-the-job and off-the-job training. All apprentices must hold a contract of employment, which means they are not currently available to prisoners.</p><p>The government recognises how important it is that those in custody are given the support, training, and routes into employment that best meets the needs of individuals, and their future employers. The department’s apprenticeship programme is supporting this by working with the Department for Work and Pensions, Youth Offending teams and local employers, to consider pilot schemes which promote and encourage apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities to ex-offenders and those at risk of offending aged 16-24.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice also supports a wider range of provision to support prisoners into employment on release and governors can now commission specific provision aimed at meeting the needs of their prisoners and local labour markets. This includes the New Futures Network, created in 2018 to broker partnerships between prisons and employers, helping businesses fill skills gaps and prisoners to find employment on release. Information, advice and guidance services are also available in prisons to help prisoners identify career aims and work towards achieving these.</p><p>The Department for Education and the Ministry of Justice are at the early stages of exploring the potential costs and benefits of the various options for a potential future prison apprenticeships programme to complement existing schemes. We would expect that a prison apprenticeship programme will need to use the same standards and frameworks as all apprenticeships.</p><p>At this time, we have not made any estimates of the time required to develop models of delivery for prison apprenticeships. We will consider any discussions with employers and Cabinet colleagues once we have first established the practicalities and value of a potential prison apprenticeship programme.</p> answering member constituency Chichester answering member printed Gillian Keegan grouped question UIN 18578 18580 18751 18754 18755 question first answered 02/03/2020 17:54:05 answering member 4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1179323

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Prisoners
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will hold discussions with employers on implementing an apprenticeship program for prisoners.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	18580
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2020 answer text <p>Apprenticeships are paid jobs which include high-quality on-the-job and off-the-job training. All apprentices must hold a contract of employment, which means they are not currently available to prisoners.</p><p>The government recognises how important it is that those in custody are given the support, training, and routes into employment that best meets the needs of individuals, and their future employers. The department’s apprenticeship programme is supporting this by working with the Department for Work and Pensions, Youth Offending teams and local employers, to consider pilot schemes which promote and encourage apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities to ex-offenders and those at risk of offending aged 16-24.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice also supports a wider range of provision to support prisoners into employment on release and governors can now commission specific provision aimed at meeting the needs of their prisoners and local labour markets. This includes the New Futures Network, created in 2018 to broker partnerships between prisons and employers, helping businesses fill skills gaps and prisoners to find employment on release. Information, advice and guidance services are also available in prisons to help prisoners identify career aims and work towards achieving these.</p><p>The Department for Education and the Ministry of Justice are at the early stages of exploring the potential costs and benefits of the various options for a potential future prison apprenticeships programme to complement existing schemes. We would expect that a prison apprenticeship programme will need to use the same standards and frameworks as all apprenticeships.</p><p>At this time, we have not made any estimates of the time required to develop models of delivery for prison apprenticeships. We will consider any discussions with employers and Cabinet colleagues once we have first established the practicalities and value of a potential prison apprenticeship programme.</p> answering member constituency Chichester answering member printed Gillian Keegan grouped question UIN 18578 18579 18751 18754 18755 question first answered 02/03/2020 17:54:05 answering member 4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1179326

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Prisoners
	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 sectors that would be suitable for a potential prison apprenticeship scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	18751
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2020 answer text <p>Apprenticeships are paid jobs which include high-quality on-the-job and off-the-job training. All apprentices must hold a contract of employment, which means they are not currently available to prisoners.</p><p>The government recognises how important it is that those in custody are given the support, training, and routes into employment that best meets the needs of individuals, and their future employers. The department’s apprenticeship programme is supporting this by working with the Department for Work and Pensions, Youth Offending teams and local employers, to consider pilot schemes which promote and encourage apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities to ex-offenders and those at risk of offending aged 16-24.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice also supports a wider range of provision to support prisoners into employment on release and governors can now commission specific provision aimed at meeting the needs of their prisoners and local labour markets. This includes the New Futures Network, created in 2018 to broker partnerships between prisons and employers, helping businesses fill skills gaps and prisoners to find employment on release. Information, advice and guidance services are also available in prisons to help prisoners identify career aims and work towards achieving these.</p><p>The Department for Education and the Ministry of Justice are at the early stages of exploring the potential costs and benefits of the various options for a potential future prison apprenticeships programme to complement existing schemes. We would expect that a prison apprenticeship programme will need to use the same standards and frameworks as all apprenticeships.</p><p>At this time, we have not made any estimates of the time required to develop models of delivery for prison apprenticeships. We will consider any discussions with employers and Cabinet colleagues once we have first established the practicalities and value of a potential prison apprenticeship programme.</p> answering member constituency Chichester answering member printed Gillian Keegan grouped question UIN 18578 18579 18580 18754 18755 question first answered 02/03/2020 17:54:05 answering member 4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1179329

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Prisoners
	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 length of time required to develop models of delivery for prison apprenticeships.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	18754
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2020 answer text <p>Apprenticeships are paid jobs which include high-quality on-the-job and off-the-job training. All apprentices must hold a contract of employment, which means they are not currently available to prisoners.</p><p>The government recognises how important it is that those in custody are given the support, training, and routes into employment that best meets the needs of individuals, and their future employers. The department’s apprenticeship programme is supporting this by working with the Department for Work and Pensions, Youth Offending teams and local employers, to consider pilot schemes which promote and encourage apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities to ex-offenders and those at risk of offending aged 16-24.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice also supports a wider range of provision to support prisoners into employment on release and governors can now commission specific provision aimed at meeting the needs of their prisoners and local labour markets. This includes the New Futures Network, created in 2018 to broker partnerships between prisons and employers, helping businesses fill skills gaps and prisoners to find employment on release. Information, advice and guidance services are also available in prisons to help prisoners identify career aims and work towards achieving these.</p><p>The Department for Education and the Ministry of Justice are at the early stages of exploring the potential costs and benefits of the various options for a potential future prison apprenticeships programme to complement existing schemes. We would expect that a prison apprenticeship programme will need to use the same standards and frameworks as all apprenticeships.</p><p>At this time, we have not made any estimates of the time required to develop models of delivery for prison apprenticeships. We will consider any discussions with employers and Cabinet colleagues once we have first established the practicalities and value of a potential prison apprenticeship programme.</p> answering member constituency Chichester answering member printed Gillian Keegan grouped question UIN 18578 18579 18580 18751 18755 question first answered 02/03/2020 17:54:05 answering member 4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1179330

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Prisoners
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of an apprenticeship scheme for prisoners.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	18755
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2020 answer text <p>Apprenticeships are paid jobs which include high-quality on-the-job and off-the-job training. All apprentices must hold a contract of employment, which means they are not currently available to prisoners.</p><p>The government recognises how important it is that those in custody are given the support, training, and routes into employment that best meets the needs of individuals, and their future employers. The department’s apprenticeship programme is supporting this by working with the Department for Work and Pensions, Youth Offending teams and local employers, to consider pilot schemes which promote and encourage apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities to ex-offenders and those at risk of offending aged 16-24.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice also supports a wider range of provision to support prisoners into employment on release and governors can now commission specific provision aimed at meeting the needs of their prisoners and local labour markets. This includes the New Futures Network, created in 2018 to broker partnerships between prisons and employers, helping businesses fill skills gaps and prisoners to find employment on release. Information, advice and guidance services are also available in prisons to help prisoners identify career aims and work towards achieving these.</p><p>The Department for Education and the Ministry of Justice are at the early stages of exploring the potential costs and benefits of the various options for a potential future prison apprenticeships programme to complement existing schemes. We would expect that a prison apprenticeship programme will need to use the same standards and frameworks as all apprenticeships.</p><p>At this time, we have not made any estimates of the time required to develop models of delivery for prison apprenticeships. We will consider any discussions with employers and Cabinet colleagues once we have first established the practicalities and value of a potential prison apprenticeship programme.</p> answering member constituency Chichester answering member printed Gillian Keegan grouped question UIN 18578 18579 18580 18751 18754 question first answered 02/03/2020 17:54:06 answering member 4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1179331

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	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, what steps he plans to take to ensure adequate funding for schools.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	18756
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2020 answer text <p>The Department is giving schools the largest cash boost in a decade, investing a total of £14 billion additional funding for schools over the next three years. This will allow school funding to increase by £2.6 billion in 2020-21, followed by increases of £4.8 billion and £7.1 billion in 2021-22 and 2022-23 respectively, compared to 2019-20.</p><p>We will continue to distribute funding through the National Funding Formula (NFF), which ensures that funding is based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics. This will ensure that per-pupil funding for every school can rise at least in line with inflation next year; and faster than inflation for most. On average schools are attracting 4.2% more per pupil.</p><p>We have also recently laid regulations in Parliament which give legal force to the new minimum per pupil funding levels. This will allow us to aid the lowest funded schools to ensure that every secondary school attracts at least £5,000 per pupil next year, and every primary school at least £3,750 – on the path to receiving at least £4,000 per pupil the following year.</p><p>Finally, we have removed the gains cap in the NFF for 2020-21, so that all schools will attract their full allocations under the formula. This means that we can deliver the greatest gains to areas historically underfunded to ensure that they have the right investment to deliver an outstanding education.</p><p>The Department will continue to move towards a ‘hard’ national formula as soon as possible, meaning a single national formula will determine every school’s final budget, rather than it being set independently by each local authority. We will work closely with local authorities and the sector in making this transition carefully.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 18791 question first answered 28/02/2020 17:05:38 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1179432

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	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, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate funding for schools.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	18791
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2020 answer text <p>The Department is giving schools the largest cash boost in a decade, investing a total of £14 billion additional funding for schools over the next three years. This will allow school funding to increase by £2.6 billion in 2020-21, followed by increases of £4.8 billion and £7.1 billion in 2021-22 and 2022-23 respectively, compared to 2019-20.</p><p>We will continue to distribute funding through the National Funding Formula (NFF), which ensures that funding is based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics. This will ensure that per-pupil funding for every school can rise at least in line with inflation next year; and faster than inflation for most. On average schools are attracting 4.2% more per pupil.</p><p>We have also recently laid regulations in Parliament which give legal force to the new minimum per pupil funding levels. This will allow us to aid the lowest funded schools to ensure that every secondary school attracts at least £5,000 per pupil next year, and every primary school at least £3,750 – on the path to receiving at least £4,000 per pupil the following year.</p><p>Finally, we have removed the gains cap in the NFF for 2020-21, so that all schools will attract their full allocations under the formula. This means that we can deliver the greatest gains to areas historically underfunded to ensure that they have the right investment to deliver an outstanding education.</p><p>The Department will continue to move towards a ‘hard’ national formula as soon as possible, meaning a single national formula will determine every school’s final budget, rather than it being set independently by each local authority. We will work closely with local authorities and the sector in making this transition carefully.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 18756 question first answered 28/02/2020 17:05:38 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon