Tag: Baroness Lister of Burtersett

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2015-11-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of respondents supported each of the proposals in the consultation Reforming support for failed asylum seekers and other illegal migrants.

Lord Bates

The consultation response published on 5 November 2015 provides an overview of the responses, including by category of respondent, and summarises the responses to the proposals and questions set out in the consultation document. The individual responses varied in scope, detail and the extent to which they directly addressed those proposals and questions and it is not possible therefore to quantify the responses in the manner sought.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-03-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the importance of strategic local approaches to play, and what plans they have to require authorities to submit regional play strategies to the Department for Education.

Lord Nash

I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given on 8 March to PQ 29737, which I have also set out below:

The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning.

Play is integral in the early years and is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework which states: “Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.”

The staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department.

Ofsted registers childcare provision on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register and conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards.

In judging the quality and standards of early years provision, Ofsted inspectors must assess the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have special educational needs or disabilities. At August 2015, 85 per cent of providers on the Early Years Register were rated good or outstanding for overall effectiveness. This is an increase of 11 percentage points since 2012.

Local Authorities provide and offer Continuous Professional Development and training to early years settings; some of which may include training on play. However, it is not a requirement for local authorities to deliver regional play training as it is already a requirement in the Early Years Foundation Stage to cover play in a setting.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-07-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Department for Work and Pensions report of the Household Below Average Income Statistics was over 100 pages in length in previous years and this year is 13 pages in length; and why this year’s report contains details published in Excel tables only.

Lord Freud

The change in publication format for the 2014/15 Households Below Average Income (HBAI) National Statistics release was made to bring this report into line with the new standard DWP Statistics template, with the aim of giving more focussed and accessible publications, without sacrificing the breadth of statistical analysis previously published.

No information has been lost from this publication, rather this restructuring is intended to allow the lay user to better understand these important statistics.

This approach is in line with the UK Statistics Authority’s “Better Statistics, Better Decisions” strategy and the specific change in format for HBAI was trailed in a Statistical Notice released in April 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which countries limit financial support for children by the number of dependent children.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The national systems for supporting families in and out of work are very different between countries and it is thus difficult to compare one system with another. Many countries do not have means-tested supplements for children.

The Government believes that the welfare system needs to be fair to taxpayers as well as benefit claimants, which includes ensuring that families on benefits make the same sort of financial decisions about the number of children they can afford to have as families supporting themselves solely through work.

In 2011 the UK spent more on family benefits than Germany, France or Sweden. The UK spent more than double the OECD average on cash benefits to families according to OBR’s welfare trends report 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-03-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the call in the new report from the charity Sense, Making the Case for Play, for play to be part of the ministerial brief for the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Childcare and Education.

Lord Nash

I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given on 8 March to PQ 29735, which I have also set out below:

The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning. The importance of play is already recognised within the early years legislation covered by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education’s portfolio.

Play is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework and states: “Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.”

Staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department. However, it is the responsibility of early years settings to provide play opportunities for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.

Ofsted registers childcare provision on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register and conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards.

In judging the quality and standards of early years provision, Ofsted inspectors must assess the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have special educational needs or disabilities. At August 2015, 85 per cent of providers on the Early Years Register were rated good or outstanding for overall effectiveness. This is an increase of 11 percentage points since 2012.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the documentation for the application of the family test to the policy to limit means-tested financial support to the first two children in the family, in line with the Department for Work and Pensions’ guidance on the family test; and if not, why not.

Lord Freud

The Government has fully considered the family test criteria as an integral part of the policy development process. The published assessment of impacts of the measures in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill incorporates these considerations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-03-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to highlight play as a key strand of the Government’s policy on parenting and life chances.

Lord Nash

I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given on 9 March to PQ 29736, which I have also set out below:

The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning.

Play is integral in the early years and is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework which states: “Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others.” The framework is attached.

The Government’s forthcoming Life Chances Strategy will set out a comprehensive plan to fight disadvantage and extend opportunity. Within this, we are considering how we can support early years and parenting to give children the best start in life.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-01-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they propose to respond in detail to the recommendations in the report of the Shaw review into the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons.

Lord Bates

The Government’s position on the Stephen Shaw review was set out in the Written Ministerial Statement laid on 14 January 2016. Mr Shaw’s recommendations, including on pregnant women, will be taken into account as we develop arrangements for the adult at risk policy referred to in the Written Ministerial Statement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-03-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure there is adequate funding for children with special educational needs in early years education.

Lord Nash

We have already announced over £1bn more for the early years entitlements within the ring-fenced Dedicated Schools Grant by 2019-20, which includes £300m per year to uplift the average funding rate to providers. We are also providing protection for high needs funding that will make sure that the level of funding rises in proportion to the number of children, including those under 5. This will make sure that local authorities continue to have the flexibility to target funding where it is most needed to help children with special educational needs and disabilities and their families, including the youngest children. Further consideration will be given to funding for children with special educational needs in early years education as part of a consultation later this year.

Local authorities are required by law to secure free entitlement places for parents that want their child to take them up. The Government is committed to ensuring that all families have access to high quality, flexible and affordable childcare and parents with children with special educational needs should have the same opportunities as other parents through access to high quality childcare. The Children and Families Act requires local authorities to have a ‘local offer’ which includes a statement on how they intend to tailor the childcare on offer for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Early implementation of 30 hours from September 2016 provides a real opportunity to develop innovative approaches to providing flexible childcare for working parents whose children are disabled or have special educational needs. Through Early Implementation, York, Northumberland, Newham and Wigan are among 8 LAs delivering the 30 hours entitlement from September 2016, a year earlier than planned. This will include delivering targeted places focusing on children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

They will also be supported by Early Implementer Innovator areas including Brighton and Hove, Hampshire and Trafford, who will test the offer and how it works under specific circumstances, including developing approaches to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-01-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have accepted the recommendation in the report of the Shaw review into the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons that there should be an absolute exclusion from detention of pregnant women; and if not, why not.

Lord Bates

The Government’s position on the Stephen Shaw review was set out in the Written Ministerial Statement laid on 14 January 2016. Mr Shaw’s recommendations, including on pregnant women, will be taken into account as we develop arrangements for the adult at risk policy referred to in the Written Ministerial Statement.