Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, and according to what timetable, for the schools and colleges which are still affected by issues relating to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete to be repaired, or to be provided with new building.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The number of schools and colleges with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in some of their buildings was 237.
All schools with identified RAAC have been made safe. The department has supported schools and colleges to put in place mitigations and the government is funding the removal of RAAC from schools and colleges in England.
The department has committed to resolving this problem as quickly as possible, permanently removing RAAC either through grant funding or the School Rebuilding Programme.
The requirements of each school or college will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. Permanently removing RAAC may involve refurbishment of existing buildings or rebuilding affected buildings.
For schools having RAAC removed through the School Rebuilding Programme, schools are prioritised for delivery according to the condition need of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. We will also take into account the suitability and longevity of any temporary accommodation they are using. We have confirmed to responsible bodies when works are expected to start.
For schools and colleges receiving grants, it is for individual responsible bodies to develop project plans that suit their individual circumstances, drawing on support from the department as needed. The scope of each project will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. We are working with responsible bodies to support them as they take this forward.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many schools and colleges have been made safe after issues relating to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete have been identified in the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The number of schools and colleges with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in some of their buildings was 237.
All schools with identified RAAC have been made safe. The department has supported schools and colleges to put in place mitigations and the government is funding the removal of RAAC from schools and colleges in England.
The department has committed to resolving this problem as quickly as possible, permanently removing RAAC either through grant funding or the School Rebuilding Programme.
The requirements of each school or college will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. Permanently removing RAAC may involve refurbishment of existing buildings or rebuilding affected buildings.
For schools having RAAC removed through the School Rebuilding Programme, schools are prioritised for delivery according to the condition need of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. We will also take into account the suitability and longevity of any temporary accommodation they are using. We have confirmed to responsible bodies when works are expected to start.
For schools and colleges receiving grants, it is for individual responsible bodies to develop project plans that suit their individual circumstances, drawing on support from the department as needed. The scope of each project will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. We are working with responsible bodies to support them as they take this forward.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many schools and colleges have been affected by issues relating to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The number of schools and colleges with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in some of their buildings was 237.
All schools with identified RAAC have been made safe. The department has supported schools and colleges to put in place mitigations and the government is funding the removal of RAAC from schools and colleges in England.
The department has committed to resolving this problem as quickly as possible, permanently removing RAAC either through grant funding or the School Rebuilding Programme.
The requirements of each school or college will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. Permanently removing RAAC may involve refurbishment of existing buildings or rebuilding affected buildings.
For schools having RAAC removed through the School Rebuilding Programme, schools are prioritised for delivery according to the condition need of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. We will also take into account the suitability and longevity of any temporary accommodation they are using. We have confirmed to responsible bodies when works are expected to start.
For schools and colleges receiving grants, it is for individual responsible bodies to develop project plans that suit their individual circumstances, drawing on support from the department as needed. The scope of each project will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. We are working with responsible bodies to support them as they take this forward.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of empty houses in each of the past three years.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Statistics on vacant dwellings in England, as reported for the purposes of council tax, for each of the past three years are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1. All vacant dwellings1 and Long-Term vacant dwellings2 England, 2022 to 2024.
Date | All-Vacants | Long-Term Vacants |
|
3 Oct 2022 | 676,304 | 248,149 |
|
2 Oct 2023 | 699,126 | 261,474 |
|
7 Oct 2024 | 719,470 | 265,061 |
|
Source: Council Tax Base (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/council-taxbase-statistics) and also published in Live Table 615 (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants)
1 These are defined as empty properties as classified for council tax purposes and include all empty properties liable for council tax and properties that are empty but receive a council tax exemption. They do not include second homes as classified for council tax purposes.
2 These are defined as properties liable for council tax that have been empty for more than six months and that are not subject to Empty Homes Discount class D or empty due to specific flooding events.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 29 November (HL2588), how many prosecutions have been initiated in each of the past five years for operating an unregistered school.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
In total, five prosecutions have been initiated in the past five years against individuals suspected of conducting an unregistered school. The table below shows the number of prosecutions that have been initiated in each of those five years.
Year | Total number prosecutions |
2020 | 1 |
2021 | 2 |
2022 | 1 |
2023 | 0 |
2024 | 1 |
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to prevent large commercial food companies from delivering free breakfast clubs in primary schools in England.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
This government is committed to delivering new breakfast clubs in every primary school across England, providing children with a supportive start to the day so they are ready to learn. Rollout will start in up to 750 schools from April 2025.
The department is aware of existing offers provided directly to schools from food companies, which support schools to give pupils a healthy breakfast at the start of the day. Companies provide this support as charitable donations, offering direct grants to schools so they can provide breakfast food and buy equipment for their breakfast clubs. The department knows these donations are gratefully received by schools and that the companies provide valuable support to the sector. Any food served in schools must meet the School Food Standards.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many unregistered schools are currently operating.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
An unregistered school is defined as any setting that is operating as an independent school without registration. It is a criminal offence under section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 for a person to operate an unregistered independent school. The department does not retain data about the number of unregistered schools operating.
The department works closely with Ofsted, the Crown Prosecution Service and the police to identify and close unregistered schools to ensure children are protected from harm. Ofsted has powers under section 97 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 that allows for unannounced inspections of settings believed to be operating in breach of registration requirements. A team of inspectors are employed to identify, investigate and inspect any setting where there is evidence to suggest that an unregistered independent school is operating.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the full report of the 2020 compulsory audit of the Department for Education, carried out by the Information Commissioner.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The department will publish an updated audit closure report in Quarter 1 of 2025/26 on completion of the remedial actions.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing number of pupils being educated at home.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The department has collected local authority data on electively home-educated children from local authorities in England since autumn 2022. The most recent published figures show an estimated 92,000 children in home education on the October 2023 census, which is an increase from 80,900 on the same day in the previous year.
The department knows that local authorities are concerned about rising numbers and the resulting implications on resources for their ongoing education and safeguarding duties. Data collection shows that mental health, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and dissatisfaction with schools are increasingly common reasons behind decisions to home-educate. The forthcoming SEND reforms will help more schools to meet the needs of children with SEND and may help to stem the flow of families who feel that schools are not able to appropriately support their child.
The government will legislate for statutory local authority registers of children who are not in school as part of the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, which will be introduced in due course. Parents will have a duty to provide information about their child for these registers. This will help to improve local authority and the department’s understanding of this cohort of children and enable local authorities to target resources and capacity to those children who need it most.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for continuing the Household Support Fund after it ends in September.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
£500 million is being provided to enable the current Household Support Fund, including funding for Devolved Administrations through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion. This means Local Authorities in England are receiving £421 million to support those in need locally.
The current Household Support Fund will be in place until 30 September 2024.
As a new government, we are reviewing all policies, including the Household Support Fund.