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Written Question
Family Hubs: Finance
Wednesday 13th December 2023

Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the 75 local authorities eligible for the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme received part of the £50 million allocated for parenting support, and how this funding was broken down across those family hubs.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The funding package for the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme is for all 75 local authorities. The published funding methodology can be found attached. This publication sets out how each local authority received their funding allocation. For parenting support, each local authority will receive up to £250,000 across the three-year programme duration.


Written Question
Family Hubs: Finance
Wednesday 13th December 2023

Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the 75 local authorities eligible for the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme received part of the £81.75 million allocated for creating family hub networks, and how this funding was broken down across those hubs.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The funding package for the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme is for all 75 local authorities. The published funding methodology can be found attached. This publication sets out how each local authority received their funding allocation. Each local authority will receive up to £500,00 across the three-year programme duration to transform their Family hubs services into a Family Hub model.


Written Question
Family Hubs: Finance
Wednesday 13th December 2023

Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the 75 local authorities eligible for the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme received part of the £81.75 million allocated for creating family hub networks, and how this funding was broken down across those hubs.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The funding package for the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme is for all 75 local authorities. The published funding methodology can be found attached. This publication sets out how each local authority received their funding allocation. Each local authority will receive up to £500,00 across the three-year programme duration to transform their Family hubs services into a Family Hub model.


Written Question
Department for Education: Resignations
Tuesday 3rd October 2023

Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants have resigned from the team responsible for capital spending in the Department for Education in each year for the past five years.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The information is not held in the format requested.


Written Question
Childcare: Costs
Thursday 21st September 2023

Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of providing 30 hours of free childcare each week to children aged between 9 months and 4 years, with one or both parents in full-time education or training.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not hold the data on the number of parents of children under four years of age that are in full time education or training.

In the Spring Budget 2023, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.

The announcement included the expansion of the 30 hours free childcare offer, through which eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school. The key objective of this measure is to support parental participation in the labour market, which is why the offer is conditional on work.

All students, who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at national minimum/living wage, and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, will be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3- and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.

The department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education (HE) to support them with childcare.

Eligible undergraduate students attending full-time HE courses qualify for fee loans to meet the full costs of their tuition and partially means-tested loans as a contribution towards their living costs.

Additional support is provided for full-time students with dependent children. This support includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance which are based on a student’s household income.

The Childcare Grant is available for parents in HE undertaking a full-time undergraduate course and is paid to help with weekly childcare costs. The amount of childcare grant payable in 2023/24 will be based on 85% of actual childcare costs, subject to a maximum grant of £188.90 per week for one child only or £323.85 per week for two or more children. The Parents’ Learning Allowance is for full-time undergraduate students with one or more dependent children. For the 2023/24 academic year, students could receive up to £1,915 a year depending on household income. Students whose household incomes are £39,796 or less qualify for the full Childcare Grant and Parents Learning Allowance applied for.

In addition to the standard student support package set out above, eligible nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students receive a non-repayable training grant of a minimum of £5,000 per academic year. Eligible students with child dependants can also access a further £2,000 per academic year.


Written Question
Education: Parents
Thursday 21st September 2023

Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many parents of children under four years of age are in full time education or training.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not hold the data on the number of parents of children under four years of age that are in full time education or training.

In the Spring Budget 2023, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.

The announcement included the expansion of the 30 hours free childcare offer, through which eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school. The key objective of this measure is to support parental participation in the labour market, which is why the offer is conditional on work.

All students, who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at national minimum/living wage, and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, will be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3- and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.

The department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education (HE) to support them with childcare.

Eligible undergraduate students attending full-time HE courses qualify for fee loans to meet the full costs of their tuition and partially means-tested loans as a contribution towards their living costs.

Additional support is provided for full-time students with dependent children. This support includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance which are based on a student’s household income.

The Childcare Grant is available for parents in HE undertaking a full-time undergraduate course and is paid to help with weekly childcare costs. The amount of childcare grant payable in 2023/24 will be based on 85% of actual childcare costs, subject to a maximum grant of £188.90 per week for one child only or £323.85 per week for two or more children. The Parents’ Learning Allowance is for full-time undergraduate students with one or more dependent children. For the 2023/24 academic year, students could receive up to £1,915 a year depending on household income. Students whose household incomes are £39,796 or less qualify for the full Childcare Grant and Parents Learning Allowance applied for.

In addition to the standard student support package set out above, eligible nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students receive a non-repayable training grant of a minimum of £5,000 per academic year. Eligible students with child dependants can also access a further £2,000 per academic year.


Written Question
Industry: Carbon Emissions
Thursday 15th October 2020

Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given (1) to introducing a national and regional skills strategy to provide reskilling opportunities within low carbon sectors, and (2) to the benefits of investing in reskilling and retraining in low-carbon and climate resilient industries, to address unemployment arising from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answered by Baroness Berridge

The government is committed to making the skills system more responsive to employer skill needs both locally and nationally, and to equip young people and adults with the skills they need to have productive and fulfilling careers. We are working with employers in all sectors including those in the ‘green economy’ to jointly design and deliver policies and programmes to do this.

We are investing in a network of Institutes of Technology around the country – flagship training providers that will help to drive regional growth in key areas like engineering, advanced manufacturing and construction by meeting technical and higher technical skills needs.

We recently published reforms that aim to make higher technical education a high-quality, prestigious and popular choice. Through our reforms, we will introduce a national approvals scheme to show which higher technical qualifications (including those addressing needs in low carbon sectors) deliver the skills that employers want. We will also raise the profile and understanding of higher technical education through a public campaign and improved information, advice and guidance.

There are a number of apprenticeships available in the green and energy sectors including Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) controls engineer, community energy specialist and dual-fuel smart meter installer, and we are committed to ensuring people of all ages can benefit from the high-quality training that an apprenticeship offers. To help support employers to offer new apprenticeships, employers are now able to claim £2,000 for every new apprentice they hire under the age of 25, and £1,500 for those 25 and over.

Alongside these wider adult skills reforms, the government is providing £2.5 billion (£3 billion when including Barnett funding for devolved administrations) starting this Parliament, for a new National Skills Fund to help adults learn new skills and prepare for the economy of the future.

As part of this, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, recently announced the launch of the trial of digital bootcamps to support local regions and employers to fill in-demand vacancies. We will expand these out to wider areas of the economy and parts of the country next year.

My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, also announced, as part of his Lifetime Skills Guarantee, that for adults who do not currently have a level 3 qualification, the government will be fully funding their first full level 3 through the National Skills Fund.

Currently, adults who are between the ages of 19 – 23 are eligible for full funding for their first full level 3. We are now extending eligibility for a first full level 3 so adults who are above the age of 23 can also benefit from level 3 courses and qualifications with high economic value and strong alignment with government priorities. We will continue to work to ensure that the National Skills Fund aligns and supports important cross-government priorities, including the UK's ambitious clean growth agenda.

We are committed to consulting on aspects of the National Skills Fund. We are continuing to review the ongoing implications of the COVID-19 outbreak and we are considering the most appropriate time and approach we can take to launch the consultation, ensuring we have meaningful discussions with employers, providers and users.

In the meantime, we will engage closely with stakeholders as we continue to develop detailed plans for the National Skills Fund, including considering what role the fund could play in meeting more immediate needs in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.