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1059645

	registered interest
	date	12/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Academies: Pay
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the salaries paid to heads or chief executives of academy chains; and whether there is any correlation between the salary levels of such heads or executives and improvements in standards of education in those chains.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
	uin	HL13664
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2019 answer text <p>Our reforms over the last 8 years show that autonomy and freedom in the hands of excellent leaders and outstanding teachers can deliver a world-class education. Academy status leads to a more dynamic and responsive education system by allowing schools to make decisions based on local need and the interests of their pupils. It allows high performing schools to consolidate success and share their good practice across their local area. This includes over 550,000 children studying in sponsored primary and secondary academies that are now rated good or outstanding, which typically replaced underperforming schools and that is, in part, down to our reforms.</p><p>There is no single performance measure that adequately captures the scale, breadth and challenge within the roles of academy chain heads. Many of the highest paid trust chief executives work in some of the most challenging areas of the country and cover a number of schools, and have been able to achieve significant improvements for the children in their trust.</p><p>We are clear that high pay in academy trusts must be justified with evidence of robust processes for setting salaries and reductions where appropriate. That is why we have already challenged 213 trusts paying either one person more than £150,000 or 2 or more people more than £100,000. Since this work began, 45 trusts have reduced salaries in their latest accounts return and this month I have written to 28 of the 213 trusts challenged in the previous round of high pay activity to further challenge where salaries have not been reduced. We remain fully committed to continuing and developing this challenge process.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 22/02/2019 15:00:54 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley

827894

	registered interest
	date	22/01/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Academies: Standards
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what shortcomings, if any, they have identified with the performance of multi-academy trusts; what are the oversight arrangements for governance and public accountability; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which those arrangements are adequate and fit for purpose.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
	uin	HL4944
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2018 answer text <p>Academy trusts are held to account through a Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State and bound by both company and charity law.</p><p>The department publishes statistics on the performance of schools in multi-academy trusts on GOV.UK at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-academy-trust-performance-measures-2015-to-2016" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-academy-trust-performance-measures-2015-to-2016</a>, and in the ‘Academy Schools Sector in England’, attached.</p><p>Academy trusts are required to submit audited accounts on an annual basis. The auditors are required to express a view on the financial health of a trust and to produce a public management letter summarising their audit.</p><p>The primary responsibility for the oversight of trusts rests with the trustees themselves. Regional Schools Commissioners act on behalf of the Secretary of State, and continually review the performance of all of the multi-academy trusts in their region, working closely with the Education and Skills Funding Agency who have oversight of financial performance and governance. Where concerns are identified, the department acts swiftly and robustly to address these.</p><p>Further information on the oversight arrangements for academy trusts is set out in ‘Multi-academy trusts: Government Response to the Committee’s Seventh Report of Session 2016–17’, which is attached.</p><p>We continuously review the adequacy of oversight arrangements.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton attachment 1 file name HL4944.pdf title Attachment 1 2 file name 452.pdf title Attachment 2 question first answered 05/02/2018 17:03:42 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley

771272

	registered interest
	date	16/10/2017
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the causatory factors leading to a decline in the number of young people starting an apprenticeship in the current year; and how that decline will affect their target to create three million apprenticeships by 2020.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
	uin	HL2073
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2017 answer text <p>There have been over 1.1 million apprenticeship starts since May 2015 and the Government remains committed to reaching 3 million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020. The Government has introduced the Apprenticeship Levy to provide sustainable investment in high quality apprenticeships, and by 2020 apprenticeship funding in England will be £2.45 billion, which is double than in 2010.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is monitoring the number of apprenticeship starts as these changes take effect. Ultimately, it is too early to draw conclusions on the impact of these reforms before employers have had time to adjust. However, the Government will continue to oversee the apprenticeship program to ensure its success.</p><p> </p><p>These reforms to apprenticeships are the biggest changes the Government has ever made in this area, and include the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy and new funding arrangements in April and May respectively. As a result, the Government expects a period of adjustment for employers wanting to explore the opportunities such reforms offer. Employers have 24 months to spend their levy funds.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL2074 question first answered 30/10/2017 17:53:05 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley

942045

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the numbers of apprenticeship starts have decreased since the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy; what factors have contributed to any such decrease; and what steps they are taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
	uin	HL9559
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2018 answer text <p>The number of people starting apprenticeships has dropped. A key reason for this was because we have radically reformed what an apprenticeship is. The old apprenticeship frameworks were said by employers not to be equipping apprentices to do the job. Training was often of poor quality or was non-existent. Instead, we are asking employers to lead the design of new apprenticeship standards, putting them in the driving seat to give apprentices the skills that businesses need. The number of people starting on these new standards is growing fast. Over 40% of individuals completing an apprenticeship are now starting on new standards, compared to 2.5% this time last year.</p><p>We are creating quality apprenticeships that will change the lives of apprentices and the prospects of businesses and we are continuing to take steps to grow apprenticeships starts. The Institute for Apprenticeships have introduced their Faster and Better process to speed up and simplify standards development.</p><p>The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the changes to raise apprenticeship quality; creating long-term, sustainable investment in training. Only around 2% of employers pay the levy, but they have generated almost 50% of starts so far in 2017/18. We will continue to work closely with employers to help them take advantage of the levy and wider funding changes, to invest in the long-term skills needs of their business.</p><p>We recognise that employers want and need flexibility. We have already extended the amount of time employers have to spend their levy (from 18 to 24 months), and have introduced transfers, to make the system as effective as possible. We will avoid making any changes that could compromise the quality of apprenticeships. We will keep listening to employers’ feedback as the system develops further. We also meet regularly with business groups and individual employers to understand the impact of the changes and use their feedback to inform any further reforms.</p><p>The changes we have made to the apprenticeship system are transforming lives. Few countries can match the energy and range of reforms currently being pursued in England. We are helping employers to create high quality apprenticeships at all levels that give people of all ages and backgrounds the skills they need.</p><p>We are using the employer Diversity Champions, comprised of over 65 members including employers, local authorities and schools, has been developed to engage and inspire employers and communities to ensure apprenticeships are undertaken by people from a diverse range of backgrounds, reflecting the widest spectrum of our society.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 25/07/2018 15:40:35 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley

942047

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Small Businesses
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about the Education and Skills Agency considering bids with minimum contract award limits for the training of apprenticeships for small and medium-sized employers who are non-levy payers; and how they are responding to such representations.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
	uin	HL9561
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2018 answer text <p>A minimum contract value was set for awards under the non-levy apprenticeship procurement, which we concluded in December 2017.</p><p> </p><p>Following notification of initial award, we received 29 complaints from providers that were unsuccessful due to the application of the minimum contract value.</p><p> </p><p>The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) referred these providers back to the specific elements of the invitation to tender that explain the reasons for the application of the minimum contract level, as well as the process that was used to do so (attached). The ESFA directed them to guidance on the use of sub-contracting and levy transfers as further ways of supporting non-levy payer access to apprenticeship training.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 26/07/2018 13:11:34 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton attachment 1 file name HL9561_invitation_to_tender.pdf title Invitation_to_tender_for_apprenticeship_delivery
	tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley

771273

	registered interest
	date	16/10/2017
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of the reduced number of young people starting an apprenticeship in the current year, they have considered withdrawing the apprenticeship levy charged to companies with more than 250 members of staff.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
	uin	HL2074
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2017 answer text <p>There have been over 1.1 million apprenticeship starts since May 2015 and the Government remains committed to reaching 3 million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020. The Government has introduced the Apprenticeship Levy to provide sustainable investment in high quality apprenticeships, and by 2020 apprenticeship funding in England will be £2.45 billion, which is double than in 2010.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is monitoring the number of apprenticeship starts as these changes take effect. Ultimately, it is too early to draw conclusions on the impact of these reforms before employers have had time to adjust. However, the Government will continue to oversee the apprenticeship program to ensure its success.</p><p> </p><p>These reforms to apprenticeships are the biggest changes the Government has ever made in this area, and include the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy and new funding arrangements in April and May respectively. As a result, the Government expects a period of adjustment for employers wanting to explore the opportunities such reforms offer. Employers have 24 months to spend their levy funds.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL2073 question first answered 30/10/2017 17:53:05 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley

1081671

	registered interest
	date	04/03/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Housing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the asylum dispersal scheme, especially with regard to its impact on local social cohesion.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
	uin	HL14204
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office engages closely with Local Authorities, through Strategic Migration Partnerships, on a regular basis to assess the effectiveness of asylum dispersal and discuss issues such as local cohesion. In addition, accommodation Providers must consult on every property that is to be used for asylum dispersal with Local Authorities who will assess its viability in relation to social cohesion, as well as a number of other factors.</p><p>A governance structure has been established to facilitate a joint review into asylum dispersal which will be co-designed and co-produced by Local Authorities and the Home Office.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 21/03/2019 17:37:55 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley

930923

	registered interest
	date	25/06/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Bed and Breakfast Accommodation: Children
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are being introduced to reduce the number of children in bed and breakfast, and hotel temporary accommodation.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
	uin	HL8923
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2018 answer text <p>The Government has been clear that in normal circumstances the long term use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families with children is inappropriate and if for longer than 6 weeks - unlawful.</p><p>There are some councils who are successfully reducing the number and length of time families are spending in B&amp;B accommodation and the numbers of children in temporary accommodation; we expect areas in similar situations to follow their example.</p><p>Our new Homelessness Advice and Support Team, drawn from local authorities and the homelessness sector, are providing support to help authorities to end the placement of families in B&amp;B accommodation for more than 6 weeks. The number of families in B&amp;B has shown a reduction over the last published quarter, from Sept 2017 to Dec 2017. The total number of households in B&amp;B is down 11 per cent; households with dependent children in B&amp;B is down 24 per cent; and households with dependent children in B&amp;B over 6 weeks is down 21 per cent.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 09/07/2018 15:43:15 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley

968808

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2018
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Bus Services: Finance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide additional resources to support bus services in England so that some of the routes stopped since 2010 can be restored.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
	uin	HL10092
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2018 answer text <p>The bus market in England is deregulated. Any decision to cut bus routes lies with the commercial operator. In 2016/17 £2.21 billion was provided by the Government to support bus services in England. This support includes local authority payments for supported services, and £250 million of Bus Service Operators Grant payments with £43m of this being paid directly to local authorities to run services that are socially necessary. In 2017 the Government also introduced the Bus Services Act, providing a number of tools to help improve bus services for passengers, and are working with a number of interested local authorities to determine which of the powers provided in the Act are best able to support bus networks in their local areas.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 18/09/2018 13:13:25 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley

916591

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children in Care
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the future education prospects and social mobility of children taken into local authority care and moved around the care system.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
	uin	HL8297
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2018 answer text <p>We know that stability for a child in care is a key factor in forming secure, high-quality relationships that can help a child to thrive in education and into adulthood. Research by the Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and Education shows the important relationship between stability and better outcomes for young people in care in mainstream schools at the end of key stage 4.</p><p>The Department for Education is working to improve stability for looked after children, including investing £3.8 million in the Mockingbird Family Model. This aims to improve placement stability by providing enhanced support to foster carers and the children they look after. The department collects and publishes annually information on the educational attainment of looked-after children and outcomes for care leavers aged 19, 20 and 21 years old and uses this information to inform policies to improve outcomes.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 18/06/2018 16:38:34 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley