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1241762

registered interest
date	08/10/2020
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, what steps he is taking to increase uptake of free school meals.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	100941
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/10/2020 answer text <p>The provision of free school meals, to children from out-of-work families or those on low incomes, is of the utmost importance to this government. There are currently 1.4 million pupils eligible for and claiming a free, nutritious school meal, saving families more than £400 per year.</p><p>We do not routinely collect information on the proportion of pupils that would be entitled to a free school meal but do not make a claim. Our last estimate is that take-up is around 89% of those who are entitled. Take-up may currently be higher as during the COVID-19 outbreak we are temporarily extending free school meal eligibility to include some children of groups who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF). Guidance on the NRPF extension is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups</a>.</p><p>Whilst take-up of free school meals is strong, we want to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their free school meals, and to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. To support this we provide an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. We have also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for free school meals and provide guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including free school meals.</p><p>We are grateful for the hard work that school staff undertake throughout the school year to deliver this provision locally for the families that are eligible for free meals. During the COVID-19 outbreak, we are especially appreciative of the actions schools have taken to continue free school meal provision in challenging circumstances.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 100942 100943 100944 question first answered 13/10/2020 15:21:47 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1241764

registered interest
date	08/10/2020
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 children eligible for free school meals are not registered for the scheme in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	100942
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/10/2020 answer text <p>The provision of free school meals, to children from out-of-work families or those on low incomes, is of the utmost importance to this government. There are currently 1.4 million pupils eligible for and claiming a free, nutritious school meal, saving families more than £400 per year.</p><p>We do not routinely collect information on the proportion of pupils that would be entitled to a free school meal but do not make a claim. Our last estimate is that take-up is around 89% of those who are entitled. Take-up may currently be higher as during the COVID-19 outbreak we are temporarily extending free school meal eligibility to include some children of groups who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF). Guidance on the NRPF extension is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups</a>.</p><p>Whilst take-up of free school meals is strong, we want to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their free school meals, and to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. To support this we provide an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. We have also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for free school meals and provide guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including free school meals.</p><p>We are grateful for the hard work that school staff undertake throughout the school year to deliver this provision locally for the families that are eligible for free meals. During the COVID-19 outbreak, we are especially appreciative of the actions schools have taken to continue free school meal provision in challenging circumstances.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 100941 100943 100944 question first answered 13/10/2020 15:21:47 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1241765

registered interest
date	08/10/2020
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 children registered for free school meals did not take up their entitlement in 2019-20.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	100943
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/10/2020 answer text <p>The provision of free school meals, to children from out-of-work families or those on low incomes, is of the utmost importance to this government. There are currently 1.4 million pupils eligible for and claiming a free, nutritious school meal, saving families more than £400 per year.</p><p>We do not routinely collect information on the proportion of pupils that would be entitled to a free school meal but do not make a claim. Our last estimate is that take-up is around 89% of those who are entitled. Take-up may currently be higher as during the COVID-19 outbreak we are temporarily extending free school meal eligibility to include some children of groups who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF). Guidance on the NRPF extension is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups</a>.</p><p>Whilst take-up of free school meals is strong, we want to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their free school meals, and to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. To support this we provide an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. We have also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for free school meals and provide guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including free school meals.</p><p>We are grateful for the hard work that school staff undertake throughout the school year to deliver this provision locally for the families that are eligible for free meals. During the COVID-19 outbreak, we are especially appreciative of the actions schools have taken to continue free school meal provision in challenging circumstances.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 100941 100942 100944 question first answered 13/10/2020 15:21:47 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1241766

registered interest
date	08/10/2020
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, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on introducing automatic enrolment with an opt-out for pupils eligible for free school meals.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	100944
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/10/2020 answer text <p>The provision of free school meals, to children from out-of-work families or those on low incomes, is of the utmost importance to this government. There are currently 1.4 million pupils eligible for and claiming a free, nutritious school meal, saving families more than £400 per year.</p><p>We do not routinely collect information on the proportion of pupils that would be entitled to a free school meal but do not make a claim. Our last estimate is that take-up is around 89% of those who are entitled. Take-up may currently be higher as during the COVID-19 outbreak we are temporarily extending free school meal eligibility to include some children of groups who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF). Guidance on the NRPF extension is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups</a>.</p><p>Whilst take-up of free school meals is strong, we want to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their free school meals, and to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. To support this we provide an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. We have also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for free school meals and provide guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including free school meals.</p><p>We are grateful for the hard work that school staff undertake throughout the school year to deliver this provision locally for the families that are eligible for free meals. During the COVID-19 outbreak, we are especially appreciative of the actions schools have taken to continue free school meal provision in challenging circumstances.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 100941 100942 100943 question first answered 13/10/2020 15:21:47 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1242464

registered interest
date	12/10/2020
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 assessment he has made of the effect of the £1,500 incentive for employers hiring a new apprentice aged 25 and over on the number of apprentices hired since 1 August 2020.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	102037
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2020 answer text <p>Apprenticeships will be more important than ever in helping businesses to recruit the right people and develop the skills they need to recover and grow. To help employers offer new apprenticeships, they are now able to claim £2,000 for every new apprentice they hire under the age of 25 before 31 January 2021, and £1,500 for new apprentices aged 25 and over. The new payment means it is a great time for employers to offer new apprenticeship opportunities and take advantage of existing flexibilities to train their apprentices in a way that suits their needs.</p><p>Employers have been able to register to claim the incentive since 1 September. The first payment is made 90 days from the apprentice’s start date and as such no payments have yet been made. We are monitoring the take-up of the new payments and will assess their impact on apprenticeship starts to ensure it is helping employers to meet their skills needs.</p> answering member constituency Chichester answering member printed Gillian Keegan question first answered 15/10/2020 16:59:07 answering member 4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

782641

registered interest
date	02/11/2017
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Fuels: Excise Duties
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been raised from fuel duty in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	111101
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2017 answer text <p>Fuel duty receipts statistics are available in HMRC’s Hydrocarbon Oils bulletin (see link below). This includes a breakdown of receipts by the main fuel types.</p><p><a href="https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Tax%20and%20Duty%20Bulletins/Oils0817.xls" target="_blank">https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Tax and Duty Bulletins/Oils0817.xls</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harrogate and Knaresborough answering member printed Andrew Jones question first answered 08/11/2017 12:43:55 answering member 3996 label Biography information for Andrew Jones
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

782794

registered interest
date	02/11/2017
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Hospitals: Parking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospitals in England charge blue badge holders to park.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	111102
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2017 answer text <p>National Health Service car parking data is collected annually and published at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://hefs.hscic.gov.uk/ERIC.asp" target="_blank">http://hefs.hscic.gov.uk/ERIC.asp</a></p><p>The 2016-17 Estates Return Information Collection figures show that out of 1,043 hospital sites that have designated disabled parking, 132 have indicated that they charge for disabled parking (which includes disabled people, people with temporary disabilities as well as Blue Badge holders).</p><p> </p><p>Decisions on car parking provision and charging are taken locally by each trust.</p><p> </p><p>The Department published clear guidelines (the car parking principles) for NHS organisations that they are expected to follow. Hospitals should put concessions in place for those who most need help including disabled people, carers and staff who work shifts. The NHS itself is responsible for ensuring that charges are fairly applied. Patients, visitors and staff who have problems with car parking should therefore contact the NHS organisation that runs the car park.</p> answering member constituency Ludlow answering member printed Mr Philip Dunne question first answered 08/11/2017 10:41:30 answering member 1542 label Biography information for Philip Dunne
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

782664

registered interest
date	02/11/2017
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Retail Trade: Urban Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much has been spent on regeneration of town centres in England since 2010; and in which such towns.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	111103
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2017 answer text <p>This Government is committed to supporting the regeneration of our town centres.</p><p>We have confirmed the permanent doubling of Small Business Rate Relief, meaning that 600,000 small businesses now pay no business rates at all; we launched the High Street Pledge and a digital high street pilot scheme; and we are celebrating our high streets and town centres through the hugely successful Great British High Street Awards.</p><p>Since 2010, we have given over £18 million to towns – funding and upskilling local teams of people through the Town Team Programme, boosting struggling town centres with the High Streets Innovation Fund and launching successful initiatives such as “Love Your Local Market”.</p><p>Town centres have also benefited from funding that we have made available for local economic development, including the Coastal Communities Fund, which has invested over £132 million in 131 coastal projects across England since 2012. The Government has awarded £9.1 billion to Local Enterprise Partnerships in Growth Deals since 2014.</p><p>The Government is committed to communities establishing Business Improvement Districts and the positive impact they have on their local areas, including town centres.</p><p>We are working with Local Enterprise Partnerships to strengthen their role in town centres and coastal communities, and collaborating with the Local Government Association to assist local authorities in supporting their town centres.</p><p>Further information on the town centres supported may be found at - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/high-streets-and-town-centres" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/high-streets-and-town-centres</a></p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones question first answered 09/11/2017 14:23:11 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

782705

registered interest
date	02/11/2017
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupil Premium: Harlow
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much each school in Harlow received in pupil premium funding in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2017-18.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	111104
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2017 answer text <p>Information on how much pupil premium each school has received in each parliamentary constituency and in each financial year since its introduction in April 2011 is available in the national archive and on gov.uk at the links listed below.</p><p>Financial year 2011 to 2012</p><p><a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130108054747/http:/www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2012pupilpremium/a0075963/pupil-premium-2011-12" target="_blank">http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130108054747/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2012pupilpremium/a0075963/pupil-premium-2011-12</a>.</p><p>Financial year 2012 to 2013</p><p><a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http:/www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2013pupilpremium/a00200465/schools-funding-settlement-2012-13" target="_blank">http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2013pupilpremium/a00200465/schools-funding-settlement-2012-13</a>.</p><p>Financial year 2013 to 2014</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2013-to-2014-final-allocation-tables" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2013-to-2014-final-allocation-tables</a>.</p><p>Financial year 2014 to 2015</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2014-to-2015-final-allocations" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2014-to-2015-final-allocations</a>.</p><p>Financial year 2015 to 2016</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2015-to-2016-allocations" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2015-to-2016-allocations</a>.</p><p>Financial year 2016 to 2017</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2016-to-2017</a>.</p><p>Financial year 2017 to 2018</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2017-to-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2017-to-2018</a>.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill grouped question UIN 111231 question first answered 10/11/2017 14:40:04 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

782795

registered interest
date	02/11/2017
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Doctors: Death Certificates
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much a (a) doctor, (b) general practitioner and (c) consultant is paid to sign a death certificate.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	111124
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/11/2017 answer text <p>A doctor, general practitioner and consultant are not paid to sign a death certificate.</p><p> </p><p>There is no charge for signing a death certificate.</p> answering member constituency Ludlow answering member printed Mr Philip Dunne grouped question UIN 111125 question first answered 07/11/2017 12:13:11 answering member 1542 label Biography information for Philip Dunne
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon