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1713739

registered interest
date	24/04/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	School Milk
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what are the reasons for administering the Nursery Milk Scheme to children only until their fifth birthday rather than until the end of the academic year in which that birthday falls.
tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Invergowrie
uin	HL4089
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>The Nursery Milk Scheme allows early years childcare settings such as childminders and nurseries to reclaim the cost of providing one-third of a pint of milk to children under five years old who attend their childcare setting for at least two hours per day. Schools are also allowed to claim under this scheme in respect of pupils under the age of five years old. There are no current plans to extend the Nursery Milk Scheme to cover other school pupils.</p><p>The School Food Standards require lower-fat or lactose free milk to be available in all schools. From the age of five years old onwards, pupils eligible for benefits-based free school meals are eligible for free school milk. In addition, the school milk subsidy scheme subsidises the cost of milk and certain milk products for children in primary and secondary schools including over fives. This means that participating schools can sell the products in schools at a lower price. More information on this scheme is available on GOV.UK in an online-only format.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 29/04/2024 16:41:17 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	1241 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Invergowrie

1713740

registered interest
date	24/04/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Schools: Mental Health Services
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund the national roll-out of mental health support teams across all schools and colleges in England.
tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Invergowrie
uin	HL4090
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2024 answer text <p>Mental health support teams now cover approximately 44% of pupils in England and we are working to increase this coverage to 50% of pupils by March 2025. The further rollout of mental health support teams will be subject to future spending decisions.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 01/05/2024 15:06:02 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	1241 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Invergowrie

1692949

registered interest
date	29/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ratify imminently Optional Protocol 3 to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child relating to a communications procedure; and if not, why.
tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Invergowrie
uin	HL2926
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2024 answer text <p>The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Optional Protocol 3 has not, to date, been signed and ratified by the UK government. States are not required to sign up to the Optional Protocols when they ratify the UNCRC.</p><p>The government believes effective domestic laws already exist where individuals can seek enforceable remedies if their rights have been breached. It is possible for an individual to challenge any government decision in the domestic courts if their rights have been breached, and this includes breaches of children’s rights under the UNCRC.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 13/03/2024 17:38:54 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	1241 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Invergowrie

1692950

registered interest
date	29/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Home Education
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the survey results published by Schools Week on 21 February which found that the rate at which children left the classroom for home education in 2022–23 showed a 12 per cent increase on 2021–22, with the biggest increases in some of the country’s most deprived areas.
tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Invergowrie
uin	HL2927
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2024 answer text <p>The department has collected termly data on home educated children from local authorities on a voluntary basis since October 2022. This collection has achieved a high response rate to date, and the department has received data from all local authorities in England. The aggregate-level data collected has helped the department to understand numbers of electively home-educated children on a local level.</p><p>Analysis of the data is allowing the department to understand the drivers behind the rise in home education and to take action where the decision has been made for reasons other than providing a suitable education for children. This data is available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education</a>. It has been published up until the Autumn census day in October 2023.</p><p>It is to be noted that the department’s data collection measures all children who are in home education, whereas Schools Week’s data measures only those who were previously enrolled at a school using a lower range of local authorities’ data as a sample.</p><p>The government remains committed to legislation for a local authority registration system for children not in school. My hon. Fried, the Member for Meon Valley, introduced the Children Not in School (Registers, Support and Orders) Private Members’ Bill on 11 December 2023. The Bill’s Second Reading is scheduled for 15 March 2024. The government looks forward to working with her as she progresses her Bill.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 07/03/2024 13:09:56 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	1241 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Invergowrie

1683580

registered interest
date	18/01/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Parents: Surveys
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of The National Parent Survey, published by Parentkind on 4 December 2023.
tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Invergowrie
uin	HL1766
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2024 answer text <p>The National Parent Survey highlights the importance of engaging parents in their children’s education. While it is for schools to decide how to engage parents based on their particular circumstances, the department has put in place a range of support for schools and families for the issues the survey identifies. This includes support for access and attainment for those from lower income backgrounds and support for mental health and wellbeing.</p><p>The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living. The department is providing total support worth £104 billion over the 2022/23 to 2024/25 financial years to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living. This includes additional Cost of Living Payments totalling up to £900 in the 2023/24 financial year for over 8 million UK households on eligible means tested benefits, and an additional £1 billion to help with the cost of household essentials.</p><p>Further support is available through the Pupil Premium, to improve the educational outcomes of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. In line with the variety of approaches set by the department, this funding can be used to support high-quality teaching and to provide targeted academic support. It can also be used to tackle wider barriers to academic success, such as difficulties in attendance, behaviour, and social and emotional wellbeing. Pupil Premium funding will rise to over £2.9 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, an increase of £80 million from 2023/24.</p><p>The government is addressing specific cost issues such as school uniform. New statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms came into force in September 2022, which requires schools in England to ensure that their uniforms are affordable and secures best value for money for parents.</p><p>The department is committed to ensuring schools are calm, safe and supportive learning environments which promote and support good mental health and wellbeing. To support this commitment, the department is offering all state schools funding to train a senior mental health lead, who can oversee an effective whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing, which informs areas such as behaviour, tackling bullying and exam preparation. The department is also continuing to roll out Mental Health Support Teams, to increase access to early intervention support.</p><p>The department shares parents’ concerns about the time spent by children on electronic devices. New non-statutory guidance will aim to ensure that headteachers and members of staff have a clear mandate and practical advice to prohibit the use of mobile phones during the school day, which further supports the department’s aim for schools to be a calm, safe and supportive environment to learn and work.</p><p>As highlighted by the report, the experience children gain outside of their lessons is important to them fulfilling their potential as they progress from schools. The department is providing support to increase access to enriching extra-curricular activity. For example, the department is supporting cadets schemes in schools and funding an expansion in access to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in secondary schools, starting in more disadvantaged areas. Disadvantaged areas now rank amongst the highest performing in the country for careers provision and the department’s guidance is clear that schools should recognise the opportunity to improve social mobility by identifying any barriers to participation pupils may have and identify the support needed to maximise their life chances.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 31/01/2024 13:32:15 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	1241 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Invergowrie

1683581

registered interest
date	18/01/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Governing Bodies
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government why they decided to end the National Leaders of Governance Programme for schools in October 2023, rather than extend it to 2025.
tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Invergowrie
uin	HL1767
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2024 answer text <p>The National Leaders of Governance (NLG) programme closed in October 2023 following the natural end of the contract with the National Governance Association (NGA). The department is grateful to the NGA for their successful delivery and for the quality of governance support the NLGs provided to schools and trusts.</p><p>Strong governance remains a core pillar of the department’s vision for ensuring quality in the school system. The department continues to encourage school and trust boards to regularly review their governance arrangements to ensure they are operating as effectively as possible. The department recently published the Trust Quality Descriptions which state the department’s expectation that high-quality trusts will regularly access an independent review of their governance arrangements. The department, local authorities and governance support organisations can signpost boards to the growing number of potential providers that may be commissioned to undertake such a review. The Chartered Governance Institute has also started a process of accrediting providers of external reviews of governance which will be a helpful resource for school and trust boards. More information on the Trust Quality Descriptions can be found in the attached pdf.</p><p>More guidance for school and trust governing boards can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/external-reviews-of-governance-whats-involved" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/external-reviews-of-governance-whats-involved</a>, and maintained school boards can seek advice from their local authority.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 31/01/2024 12:49:26 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran attachment 1 file name HL1767 Trust Quality Descriptions.pdf title HL1767 Trust Quality Descriptions
tabling member	1241 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Invergowrie

1678318

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	High Speed 2 Line
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what additional resources they will provide to compensate local authorities for their expenditure in preparation for the HS2 rail link.
tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Invergowrie
uin	HL1242
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2023 answer text <p>HS2 Ltd has in place a series of Service Level Agreements with line of route local authorities which provide for those authorities to be reimbursed for the reasonable costs they incur in helping to deliver the new railway. This includes reimbursement for the role local authorities play in the consenting process, and in various other areas.</p><p> </p><p>In the meantime, Network North has enabled the reinvestment of £36 billion in hundreds of transport projects across the country, and we will keep working with local authorities and stakeholders to deliver improvements in local communities.</p> answering member printed Lord Davies of Gower question first answered 20/12/2023 11:13:01 answering member 4499 label Biography information for Lord Davies of Gower
tabling member	1241 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Invergowrie

1678319

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
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	Disability
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish their disability action plan; and whether they expect publication to be delayed due to the cancellation of the role of minister for disabled people, health and work.
tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Invergowrie
uin	HL1243
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>The Disability Action Plan consultation was published on 18 July 2023. The consultation ran for 12 weeks from 18 July to 6 October 2023. Since then, we have been carefully working through the responses and will publish our response to that plan in early 2024.</p><p> </p><p>On 14 December, Government confirmed the appointment of Mims Davies as the new Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work.</p><p> </p><p>The Minister will build upon this Government’s strong track record and champion the issues disabled people face to ensure that their voices continue to be heard in all parts of government. We will build on our existing measures including through our multi-billion-pound support plans announced at Autumn Statement to help millions more disabled people get into and stay in work.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 21/12/2023 11:18:42 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1241 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Invergowrie

1678008

registered interest
date	13/12/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Care Leavers: Housing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the provision of safe and suitable housing for care leavers and thereby reduce the risk of care leavers becoming homeless.
tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Invergowrie
uin	HL1195
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/12/2023 answer text <p>Helping care leavers to make a successful transition from care to independence is a priority for this government. Care leavers face barriers to securing and maintaining affordable housing and this is why we are committed to undertake actions within Mission 5 of the Care Review implementation plan to ensure an increase in the number of care leavers in safe, suitable accommodation and a reduction in care leaver homelessness by 2027. This includes bringing forward legislation, when parliamentary time allows, for Staying Put to support young people up to age 23 and for Staying Close to be a national entitlement, recognising that young people in the general population are leaving home at older ages. The department will also bring forward legislation to remove the local connection requirement for care leavers seeking access to social housing at the next available opportunity.</p><p>The department has previously provided £11.3 million in targeted funding to local authorities in England as part of the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. An additional £3 million is being provided this year to deliver extra support for care leavers at highest risk of rough sleeping.</p><p>To support care leavers in the current spending review period (2022/2025), the department is providing £99.8 million to local authorities to increase the number of care leavers that stay living with their foster families in a family home up to the age of 21 through the ‘Staying Put’ programme. The department is also providing £53 million to increase the number of young people leaving residential care who receive practical help with move-on accommodation, including ongoing support from a keyworker, through the ‘Staying Close’ programme.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 28/12/2023 16:16:18 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	1241 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Invergowrie

1678009

registered interest
date	13/12/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Ruth Perry
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills following the report of the senior coroner for Berkshire into the death of Ruth Perry.
tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Invergowrie
uin	HL1196
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>The death of Ruth Perry was the most awful tragedy. The Inquest has now concluded and it is clear that lessons need to be learned. The department is working with His Majesty’s Chief Inspector to look closely at the coroner’s findings. The department and Ofsted will make further changes beyond those already announced in June 2023 where these are needed to make sure that the inspection system supports schools and teachers, and ultimately secures Ruth Perry’s legacy.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 21/12/2023 15:17:02 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	1241 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Invergowrie