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1357973

	registered interest
	date	23/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Education: Equality
	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 help ensure equal accessibility in education for children from all backgrounds.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	53873
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2021 answer text <p>Our ambition is for every child, no matter what challenges they face, to have access to a world-class education that sets them up for life.</p><p>The government places mandatory requirements on school admission authorities through the School Admissions Code. Its purpose is to ensure that all school places for maintained schools and academies are allocated and offered in an open and fair way. The School Admissions Code requires that admission arrangements do not unfairly disadvantage children from a particular social group. On 1 September 2021, the department introduced a new School Admissions Code which aims to improve the in-year admission of vulnerable children and help reduce to a minimum any time spent out of school.</p><p>Looked after and previously looked after children are among the most vulnerable in our society and so all schools are required to give highest priority in their admissions criteria to them. The School Admissions Code also gives admission authorities the freedom to choose to prioritise children eligible for the pupil premium or who have a social or medical need, according to their local circumstances.</p><p>Where a pupil is identified as having special educational needs, schools should take action to remove barriers to learning and put effective special educational provision in place. Schools also have a legal duty to produce an accessibility plan that sets out how, over time, they are going to increase access to the curriculum for disabled pupils, improve the physical environment of the school to increase access for disabled pupils, and make written information more accessible to disabled pupils by providing information in a range of different ways.</p><p>The department is investing £300 million in the 2021-22 financial year to support local authorities to deliver new places and improve existing provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities or who require alternative provision. It is for local authorities to determine how to best use this funding to address their local priorities, such as investment in accessibility to improve or broaden access to existing provision.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 21/10/2021 08:25:11 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1388598

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Free School Meals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were in receipt of free school meals in the 12 months from June (a) 2011 and (b) 2021.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	94335
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2022 answer text <p>The department does not hold monthly pupil data of who is in receipt of free school meals. The answer provided is based off the annual School Census. In 2011, 1,246,435 children were eligible for free school meals, 16.8% of the school population. In 2021, 1,737,600 were eligible for free school meals, 20.8% of the school population.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/01/2022 18:00:19 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1403625

	registered interest
	date	17/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pupil Exclusions: Autism
	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 tackle the practice of informal exclusions of autistic children in educational settings.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	105479
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2022 answer text <p>By their very nature, informal exclusions of any child are unlawful. This is why we already make clear in the suspension and permanent exclusion guidance that ‘informal’ or ‘unofficial’ suspensions, such as sending pupils home ‘to cool off’, are unlawful, regardless of whether they occur with the agreement of parents or carers. Further information of this guidance can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusion/changes-to-the-school-exclusion-process-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusion/changes-to-the-school-exclusion-process-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak</a>.</p><p>Any suspension of a pupil, even for short periods of time, must be in line with the relevant legislation and recorded as a suspension. The department is also clear that off rolling is unacceptable in any form and continues to work with Ofsted to identify and tackle it. The forthcoming special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Review will also set out proposals for improving support for children with SEND in mainstream, which will look to ensure they get the right support in the right place at the right time.</p><p>All schools are required to have a behaviour policy which must be lawful, proportionate and reasonable. An initial intervention to address underlying causes of disruptive behaviour should include an assessment of whether appropriate provision is in place to support any special educational needs, including autism, or disability that a pupil may have. The department will be setting this out clearly in the consultation on the revised ‘behaviour in schools’ guidance and the ‘suspension and permanent exclusion’ guidance which will be published shortly. These will equip headteachers to create calm, orderly, safe, and supportive school environments where all pupils can thrive and reach their potential in safety and dignity and where exclusions are only ever used lawfully, and when absolutely necessary as a last resort.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 105480 question first answered 24/01/2022 17:46:23 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1186318

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2020
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Food Banks: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with supermarket chains and suppliers on ensuring that the foodbanks can meet the increased demand as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	31483
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <p>Food banks are independent charitable organisations and, as such, are best placed to decide on the most appropriate arrangements for supporting people who use them. As both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</p><p> </p><p>I also refer the honourable member to the response given by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in response to an oral question made on 19 March:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-03-19/debates/EBB8F3D7-F9F4-4C5C-B913-86FD27851B5D/VulnerablePeopleFoodSupplies" target="_blank">https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-03-19/debates/EBB8F3D7-F9F4-4C5C-B913-86FD27851B5D/VulnerablePeopleFoodSupplies</a>”</p><p /><p>[Additionally announcements were made at the Prime Minister’s daily briefings on 21 and 22 March in relation to food supply]</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/03/2020 18:29:01 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1340418

	registered interest
	date	28/06/2021
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Disadvantaged
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on support for vulnerable children.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	901865
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2021 answer text <p>The Secretary of State frequently meets with counterparts across Government to discuss a range of issues, including how we can support families and vulnerable children, so we can deliver on our clear manifesto commitment to reduce child poverty.</p><p>Just last week, we announced the extension of the Covid Local Support Grant to 30<sup>th</sup> September, with a further £160 million of support to be delivered across England and primarily targeted at vulnerable families with children.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 28/06/2021 15:35:01 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1179344

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Developing Countries: Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the Government's policy is on supporting education throughout the world.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	18759
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2020 answer text <p>Supporting delivery of Sustainable Development Goal 4 by promoting 12 years of quality education for all children, especially girls, by 2030 is a top priority for the Prime Minister, and was a commitment in the Conservative Manifesto.</p><p>Girls’ education is central to the UK’s drive to tackle poverty, boost economic growth, improve stability, reduce conflict and to address climate change.</p><p>The UK is a leading donor and between 2015 and 2019 UK Aid supported 14.3 million children to gain a decent education.</p><p>DFID’s 2018 education policy sets UK priorities for global education to:</p><p>- Improve teaching: develop teacher’s skills and knowledge, boost motivation, retain and monitor performance,</p><p>- Back education reforms which deliver results in the classroom, to make systems more accountable, inclusive and effective,</p><p>- Step up targeted support for the most marginalised children (focusing on hard to reach girls, children affected by crises, children with disabilities).</p><p>We are delivering this by providing focused support in 20 countries and supporting education in a further 50 through global programmes such as the Girls’ Education Challenge and support to the Global Partnership for Education.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 02/03/2020 18:04:10 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1179346

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	EU Aid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to reallocate Official Development Assistance previously allocated to the European Union following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	18760
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2020 answer text <p>As a Member State, the UK spent approximately 10% of our Official Development Assistance (ODA) through the EU each year. Going forward we will be able to make our own decisions about where, when and how we invest that money. The UK will continue to play a leading role in tackling global development challenges in support of the national interest.</p><p>Under the Withdrawal Agreement the UK will honour its share of commitments made to the EU budget and off-budget funds during the period of our membership. For DFID, this means that we will meet our commitments to EU development programmes approved by 31 December 2020 until their closure. As these are multi-year programmes, this will result in a declining spending tail of ODA contributions that we expect to run until 2027.</p><p>Ministers will take decisions on reallocating ODA funding through normal departmental processes and DFID’s bid to the Spending Review, in line with the conclusions of the Integrated Review.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 28/02/2020 14:57:34 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1180112

	registered interest
	date	24/02/2020
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Department for International Development: Civil Society
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the total amount of funding from the public purse given by her Department to (a) civil society and (b) campaigning bodies in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	19830
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2020 answer text <p>UK-based charitable organisations are critical policy and programme partners for DFID. They are vital to DFID’s delivery capability, humanitarian response and research effort, and they actively engage with DFID on the international agenda for development, across a range of policy and technical issues. Funding opportunities include the Small Charities Challenge Fund, UK Aid Direct and UK Aid Match. However, a full answer to how much public funding has been given to civil society organisations could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p><p>DFID does not fund campaigning, fundraising, or advocacy activities. These are listed as ineligible costs in our cost eligibility guidance for grants and contracts.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 02/03/2020 18:15:11 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1188584

	registered interest
	date	20/04/2020
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Agriculture: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to ensure that the seasonal demand for fruit pickers will be met during the covid-19 outbreak; and what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on how those positions can be filled.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	37597
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2020 answer text <p>The ongoing impacts of the Coronavirus outbreak have meant that there will be a shortfall in the numbers of workers who usually travel to the UK from Europe to work during the harvest season, with the demand for workers peaking from late May through the summer.</p><p>Farming leaders have already kick-started a recruitment drive for work on farms, with thousands of British people already expressing an interest in picking up seasonal agricultural work over the coming weeks and months. With many British workers furloughed from their jobs, and students having to put their summer plans on hold, the Government is supporting industry efforts to help farmers bring in this year’s harvest, working to build on these numbers.</p><p>The majority of roles for the early part of the harvest season have already been filled. We are closely monitoring the situation and we will shortly be launching a public- facing campaign to highlight the roles available from late May onwards and to encourage people to apply. The Government has confirmed that those who have been furloughed from their jobs due to coronavirus, and who are contractually allowed to work for another employer, can take on this seasonal work.</p><p>A new Government-industry digital hub for seasonal work information and job opportunities has been launched to provide guidance on getting into farm work and links to the available jobs and recruiters. The website can be found at pickforbritain.org.uk and will be updated regularly over the coming weeks to help match jobs to workers as the demand grows.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 28/04/2020 16:50:41 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1192568

	registered interest
	date	04/05/2020
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Animal Grooming: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on re-opening dog grooming parlours to ensure the welfare of animals during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	42989
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2020 answer text <p>The Government's message to the public is clear: stay alert, control the virus and save lives. Dog grooming businesses play a key role in ensuring the welfare of the nation's pets and have been allowed to operate since advice to businesses was first published, within the strict advice on social distancing and hygiene.</p><p> </p><p>The Canine and Feline Sector Group, which advises both the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England and Defra Ministers, has issued its own guidance to pet businesses, including dog groomers, on how they can continue to operate under current restrictions and in line with guidance around social distancing and hygiene: <a href="http://www.cfsg.org.uk/coronavirus/SiteAssets/SitePages/Home/CFSG%20Animal%20Business%20Guidance%2007.04.20.pdf" target="_blank">www.cfsg.org.uk/coronavirus/SiteAssets/SitePages/Home/CFSG%20Animal%20Business%20Guidance%2007.04.20.pdf</a>.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 12/05/2020 17:08:03 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon