The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received from (a) local authorities and (b) other bodies on pressures on school places due to immigration from (i) EU and (ii) non-EU countries.
Edward Timpson
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers provided for PQs 33106 and 33107 on 18 April 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the average cost to the public purse of an additional (a) school place and (b) classroom in each of the next three years.
Edward Timpson
New school places and classrooms are delivered through a variety of programmes across England. The Department does not centrally collect data on the cost of building primary or secondary schools across all local authorities. The cost of building new places and classrooms varies significantly depending on local factors including: the size of the project; forecasts of construction inflation; and regional variations in the cost of construction. All of these are subject to change over time.
Local authorities report the cost per place of providing new school places through the annual School Capacity data collection. For primary schools this data has been used to produce basic need scorecards. The scorecards detail the cost per place, including for new schools, for each local authority. The latest published scorecards are for the academic year 2013/14 and can be accessed on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/primary-school-places-local-authority-basic-need-scorecards-2014.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding for children and young people with special educational needs was allocated to East Sussex local authority area through the dedicated schools grant in each of the last three years.
Mr Sam Gyimah
Funding for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) is allocated to local authorities through the dedicated schools grant (DSG), which includes both funding to be delegated to mainstream schools, and funding for the additional costs associated with educating children and young people with high needs.
The Department does not allocate specific amounts of funding for children and young people with SEN within the funding allocated to local authorities for their mainstream schools. Schools are funded through a formula set by their local authority, and local authorities are required to delegate funds to a level that enables schools to meet the additional costs of pupils with SEN, up to £6,000 per annum. For those pupils whose additional support costs more than £6,000 the local authority pays top-up funding to the schools from their high needs budget.
East Sussex County Council’s high needs allocation, within the dedicated schools grant, in each of the last three years was as follows:
2015-16: £44.06 million
2014-15: £42.82 million
2013-14: £40.94 million
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is her policy that local stakeholders will be able to express views on proposals to require a school to convert to academy status.
Edward Timpson
Since launching our proposals in the White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere, the Government has listened to feedback from all stakeholders with an interest in the proposals, and will continue to do so.
Under the Academies Act 2010, governing bodies of schools who wish to convert to academy status must consult formally about their plans with anyone who has an interest in the school. This will include staff members and parents, but should also involve pupils and the wider local community. Where a school is failing or otherwise eligible for intervention there is no requirement to consult, but the proposed sponsor of the new academy is under a duty to communicate their plans to improve the school to parents.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department takes to vet directors of multi-academy trusts; and if she will make a statement.
Edward Timpson
Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) are responsible for appointing trustees with the right skills to deliver their functions effectively. Our model articles require MATs to ensure that both trustees and those serving on any local governing bodies at individual academies within the MAT have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. MATs’ Articles of Association also set out the circumstances by which someone is disqualified from being a trustee, including conviction of a criminal offence or bankruptcy. A trustee can be removed by the board under the Companies Act 2006.
Regional Schools Commissioners check that the trustees of a MAT have the necessary skills and expertise before the funding agreement of an academy or free school joining the MAT is signed. We may also conduct checks to make an assessment of a MAT trustee’s suitability, where deemed necessary. The Secretary of State can bar a person from taking part in the management of a MAT under the Education Act 2008.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to ensure that multi-academy trusts are accountable to the parents of students in those academies.
Edward Timpson
Our White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere set out the Government’s intention to introduce a new duty on academies to ensure that they listen to the views and needs of all parents, particularly when key decisions are made about their child’s school. For Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) we will expect all academies to engage meaningfully at a local level.
We are committed to ensuring parents have a more significant voice in their child’s school. Through the new Parent Portal, we will ensure parents have access to clear and simple information about the school system and how to support their child. This will work alongside the new performance tables website which is making it easier for parents to find out how well their child’s school is performing and to compare schools across a range of key measures.
We will provide guidance on handling complaints to ensure a common approach for all schools and MATs so that all parents know where they can go if a problem arises. In addition, we will make it simpler for parents to escalate complaints to the Department, and beyond that to a public service ombudsman.
Finally, we are considering how parents might petition Regional Schools Commissioners for their child’s school to move to a different MAT where there is underperformance or other exceptional circumstances.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much progress her Department expects to make towards eliminating fuel poverty by the end of this Parliament.
Andrea Leadsom
The 2030 target, now enshrined in law, requires Government to improve as many fuel poor homes as reasonably practicable to Band C energy efficiency standard by 2030.
We have also set an interim fuel poverty milestone for 2020, to get as many fuel poor households as reasonably practicable into Band E.
The Government will be guided by the fuel poverty strategy published in March 2015 which sets out a clear policy of working towards improving energy efficiency standards in the homes of the fuel poor.
We intend to focus the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and the Warm Home Discount more effectively on the fuel poor, and will consult on our future approach. Between them they will provide around £1billion of support each year.
The latest available statistics indicate that, in 2013, 2.35 million households were in fuel poverty in England of which 2.04 million were Band E or above. The next fuel poverty statistical release is due on 30th June 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential health benefits of increasing the temperature below which cold weather payments are made.
Priti Patel
The Government already has a plan to protect health and reduce harm from cold weather. In October 2015 it published The Cold Weather Plan for England which can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cold-weather-plan-cwp-for-england . We have no plans to change the criteria for Cold Weather Payments.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 8th June 2016 to Question 39232, how many agency workers were employed by her Department in each of the last five financial years.
Andrea Leadsom
The response to Question 39232 provided the financial spend for contingent workers over the last five financial years. This includes temporary workers, contractors and interims.
The number of temporary workers, contractors and interims engaged as at 31 March in each of the last five financial years is set out in the table . This is historical point in time data which was extracted from our legacy HR database at the first of April each year and cannot be retrospectively validated for accuracy.
As at 1 May 2016 there were 39 temporary workers, contractors and interims in DECC.
Number of temporary workers, contractors and interims.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2016 to Question 39039, how many of the 193 off-payroll contingent staff employed by her Department since May 2015 were paid through limited companies; and what the total amount paid through limited companies was in that period.
Andrea Leadsom
Contingent workers include contractors, agency workers and interims. Our contingent workers are engaged via approved provider frameworks and not directly through limited companies.
The response to Question 39039 has been revised and reissued. There were 152 contingent workers in core DECC during the period 1 May 2015 to 30 April 2016 (source: legacy HR system).
As at 1 May 2016 core DECC had 39 off-payroll (contingent) workers. All of these are engaged via an approved provider framework and not directly through limited companies.