Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gagan Mohindra and Claire Coutinho

Monday 17th July 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

7. What steps her Department is taking to increase the number of childcare places.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Claire Coutinho)]

At the spring statement, we announced the single largest investment in childcare in England ever. By 2027, the Government will be spending in excess of £8 billion, doubling the amount that we do now and helping working families with their childcare costs.

[Claire Coutinho]

As I have mentioned, we are putting the single largest ever investment into childcare over the next few years, to provide funding to settings such as the one she mentioned. We are also looking at things such as workforce, which we know can be a challenge, making sure that we remove barriers to additional routes to entry.

[Mr Mohindra]

South West Hertfordshire is home to lots of young couples, particularly those who have moved out of London to start their families. Could the Minister tell the House how her Department is supporting new parents as they return to work?

[Claire Coutinho]

That is a huge priority for this Government. The funding that we are setting out will provide parents with support worth, on average, £6,500 a year from maternity leave right up to primary school. We are doing additional work to support things such as wraparound care.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gagan Mohindra and Claire Coutinho

Monday 17th April 2023 Commons Chamber

[Claire Coutinho]

One thing that we have tried to do in the reforms is get under the bonnet and find out why local authorities are struggling to deliver. That is why we are setting out a specialist workforce strategy and looking at initial teacher training: to ensure that we can catch things early and address them. I reassure the hon. Lady that we published the strategy in tandem with the Department of Health and Social Care, because we know that it is critical to achieving that.

[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

It was recently proposed that the caretaker’s bungalow at Bridgewater Primary School in Berkhamsted was to be used for adult social care purposes, against the wishes of the school and many parents, who wanted to use the space to provide wraparound care provision. Of course I recognise the need for adult residential care, but does the Minister agree that we should be jumping at such opportunities to provide on-site provision for SEND students?

[Claire Coutinho]

That particular decision will be one for the local council, but one thing I will say is that we are asking areas to set out local inclusion plans, not only so that they can assess all the need in their area, but so that we can assess whether they are meeting it.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gagan Mohindra and Claire Coutinho

Monday 27th February 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

T4. My constituent, Ms Bhaduri Patel, came to speak to me at my recent surgery in Chorleywood. Her daughter Keya has special educational needs and is currently being kept at home, as she cannot get the support required to have a mainstream education. What is the Minister doing to work with councils such as Hertfordshire County Council, to ensure that pupils such as Keya can access the support they need?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Claire Coutinho)]

I am so sorry to hear about the position of Keya. There are things we are doing, including increasing access to specialist school spaces and improving the offer in schools, and I will be setting out more detail within the next week.