Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they are making in improving the efficiency of handling complaints about the use of interpreters in the courts system.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We have a complaints process that manages complaints about the interpreting service, complaints about specific interpreters, and complaints by interpreters. We are always looking to improve the efficiency of our processes. The Public Services Committee (PSC) of the House of Lords published a report into interpreting in the courts on 24 March 2025, and we are currently reviewing its recommendations about complaints. We will respond to the PSC’s report in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether all restrictions preventing local authorities from building new special education schools have been removed.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Where a local authority identifies the need for a new school in its area, including a new special school, it must currently seek proposals to establish an academy (free school). This is known as the ‘free school presumption’. The free school presumption process is the main route by which local authorities establish new schools to meet the need for additional places.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will remove the legal presumption that all new schools are opened as academies, allowing local authorities to welcome proposals for all types of school and to put forward their own proposals, where they choose to do so. This will ensure new schools are opened by the provider with the best offer for local children and families. Ahead of the Bill receiving royal assent and coming into force, the free school presumption remains in place.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they are making in controlling the profits made by private organisations operating in the childcare sector.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

One of the signs of a healthy market is a range of providers offering choice and flexibility for parents. There is a vibrant mix of provision in the market, including schools, the private sector, voluntary and charitable organisations and childminders offering home-based care. The department keeps the structure of the market, and the financial health of providers, under close review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the costs levied by private providers of special educational needs schools are being monitored and controlled.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The department does not monitor or collect data on independent schools’ finances, however these are published and publicly available for both commercial and charitable providers. Independent schools charge their own fees for education, health and care placements, and it is for the local authority to determine whether a placement offers value for money.

Independent special schools can play an important role in the special educational needs and disabilities system, particularly in meeting low-incidence needs. However, the department recognises that independent special schools have higher costs than maintained special schools and academies, both in commercial and charitable providers, and commissioners need to ensure placements are used appropriately.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether local authority social care services are funded and equipped to meet the needs of the 621,880 children referred to them in 2024.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) for the 2025/26 financial year will grant councils in England access to over £69 billion in funding, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase on the 2024/25 financial year. Decisions on allocation of funding for all local authority-delivered services, including children’s social care, are for local authorities to take based on local need, priorities and statutory duties.

In recognition of the need to ensure local authorities have the resources needed to deliver good quality children’s social care services, the LGFS for 2025/26 provides two new grants for children and family services. A new Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant is set to be introduced, which will provide £270 million of new funding for investment in additional prevention activity through the implementation of Family Help and child protection reforms. The Children and Families Grant, worth £414 million, will also be available. This will consolidate several previous departmental children’s social care grants, including £253.5 million from the former Supporting Families Programme.

The government’s investment in 2025/26 is a significant step in our ambition to rebalance the children’s social care system and will enable local authorities to move towards financial sustainability and deliver improved outcomes for children and families.

Funding for future years will be subject to phase two of the spending review.

Found: The Chair); Lord Blencathra; Lord Bradley; Lord Carter of Coles; Baroness Cass; Baroness Coffey; Lord Laming

Found: meeting Members present: Baroness Morris of Yardley (The Chair); Lord Blencathra; Lord Bradley; Lord Laming

Found: The Chair); Lord Blencathra; Lord Bradley; Lord Carter of Coles; Baroness Cass; Baroness Coffey; Lord Laming

Found: Letter dated 10/04/2025 from Baroness Sherlock to Lord Laming regarding clarification to a remark made