Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on English students from under-represented backgrounds of the planned closure by Cardiff University of its School of Music.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
This government believes that access to higher education should be based on ability and attainment, not background.
As education is a devolved matter, impacts following the closure of provision at a Welsh university are a matter for the Welsh government.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to announce funding for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund beyond March.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department will shortly be finalising business planning decisions on how its budget will be allocated for the next financial year. All decisions regarding the adoption and special guardianship support fund are being considered as part of these discussions. An announcement will be made as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for reviewing the National Adoption Strategy, which was last updated in July 2021.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Adoption England published a three-year strategy in 2024 that the government supports. This sets out a wide range of work to build on its work to develop adoption services across the country in partnership with those with lived experience. The full publication can be found here: https://adoptionengland.co.uk/sites/default/files/2024-04/Adoption%20England%20Strategy.pdf.
The department has provided funding of £9 million in 2024/25 for Adoption England to help develop national approaches for adoption services.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase funding for the Connect the Classroom programme.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
This government is committed to harnessing the potential of technology to drive high and rising standards in education and deliver our Plan for Change. That includes breaking down the barriers to opportunity for all to ensure no one is left behind.
We will set out our initiatives to tackle the digital divide in due course, and in line with the multi-year spending review, which will conclude in late spring 2025.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue guidance under sections 10(8), 10(10) and 12B(4) of the Children Act 2004.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department has no plans to issue guidance under sections 10(8), 10(10) and 12B(4) of the Children Act 2004.
Safeguarding partners (police, health, local authorities) are under a duty to make arrangements to work together and with other partners locally, including education providers and childcare settings, to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in their area. These responsibilities are set out in the 2023 statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’. The department will review this guidance regularly to ensure that it continues to reflect evidence, learns from children’s social care reform and aligns with legislative changes.
In November, the department published its ambitious, wide-ranging plans for children’s social care reform in ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’, setting the wheels in motion to break the cycle of crisis intervention and rebalance the system back towards earlier help for families. In December, the department introduced the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. This is a landmark piece of legislation, introducing a series of measures with a focus on delivering a joined-up system to stop vulnerable children falling through cracks in services.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposed power in clause 43 (Academies: power to secure performance of proprietor’s duties etc) of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill includes the duty of proprietors of academies, under section 10(5) of the Children Act 2004, to co-operate with the local authority in making arrangements to improve the wellbeing of children.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Clause 43 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill proposes a power for my right hon. Friend, Secretary of State for Education to issue a direction to secure the proper performance of a relevant duty or power by the proprietor of an academy trust. A ‘relevant duty’ is defined as ‘any duty, whether or not imposed by or under enactment, to which the proprietor of an academy trust is subject’. This includes the duty, under Section 10(5) of the Children Act 2004, to co-operate with the local authority in making arrangements to promote co-operation with a view to improving the wellbeing of children.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when regulations will next be made under sections 17 (Children and young people’s plans) and 66 (Regulations and Orders) of the Children Act 2004.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department has no immediate plans to update regulations under sections 17 and 66 of the Children Act 2004. Safeguarding partners (police, health, local authorities) are under a duty to make arrangements to work together, and with other partners locally, including education providers and childcare settings, to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in their area. These responsibilities are set out in the 2023 statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’. The department will review the statutory guidance regularly to ensure that it continues to reflect evidence and learning from children’s social care reform and aligns with legislative changes.
In November, the department published its ambitious, wide-ranging plans for children’s social care in ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’, setting the wheels in motion to break the cycle of crisis intervention and rebalance the system back towards earlier help for families. In December, the department introduced the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. This is a landmark piece of legislation, introducing a series of measures with a focus on delivering a joined-up system to stop vulnerable children falling through cracks in services.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the most recent review was undertaken of the use made by local authorities of their duty under section 10(1) of the Children Act 2004 (Co-operation to improve well-being), and of the response of relevant partners listed under section 10(4)(fa) to (fd); and what conclusions were reached.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department has not undertaken a review of the use made by local authorities of their duty under section 10(1) of the Children Act 2004 (Co-operation to improve well-being), or of the response of relevant partners listed under section 10(4)(fa) to (fd).
Evidence is clear that multi-agency and multi-disciplinary support is essential to keep children safe at home with their family. The department is therefore testing stronger multi-agency approaches to support families, through the £45 million Families First for Children Pathfinder and Family Networks Pilot. This will help families overcome challenges, stay together and thrive whilst keeping children safe. This includes establishing new multi-agency child protection teams and lead child protection practitioners.
In November, the department published its ambitious, wide-ranging plans in ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’, setting the wheels in motion to break the cycle of crisis intervention and rebalance the system back towards earlier help for families. In December, we introduced the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. This is a landmark piece of legislation, introducing a series of measures with a focus on delivering a joined-up system to stop vulnerable children falling through cracks in services.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark the 25th anniversary of the lifting of the LGBT+ ban in the armed forces.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
To commemorate this historic milestone, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Fighting with Pride held events for both Serving personnel and veterans over the weekend of 12 January and have plans to host more throughout 2025.
During the weekend of 12 January, the design for the LGBT+ Armed Forces Community Memorial was announced at an evening reception. The RAF Church St Clement Danes held a service of commemoration to mark the 25th anniversary and an evening reception with Ministers and all three Service Chiefs was held. Additionally, the pride flag was proudly flown from MOD Main Building throughout the weekend.
Throughout the rest of 2025 all three Services have planned 25th Anniversary Dinners; Defence and veterans will be participating in various Pride events; and the official unveiling of the LGBT Armed Forces Community Memorial at the National Arboretum will be marked by an event.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve access to higher education and employment opportunities for young carers.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Opportunity should be available to all but too many people across our country do not get the chance to succeed. The department will act to address the persistent gaps for different groups, including young carers, and break down the barriers to opportunity.
The department is committed to ensuring that all young people have equitable access to work experience opportunities, including young carers. The Youth Guarantee will ensure that every young person aged 18 to 21 who needs it is supported in accessing further learning or receives help to get a job or an apprenticeship.
The department’s ambition is to offer a guarantee of two weeks’ worth of high quality work experience to all young people over the course of their secondary education, irrespective of their background. This will open doors to a wider range of employers and businesses, giving young people greater insight into the labour market, while developing relevant skills for work. It will also help young people make informed decisions about their next steps and support their future employment prospects.
The department’s delivery partner, The Careers and Enterprise Company, is piloting the delivery of the work experience guarantee. This includes testing a ringfenced disadvantage premium to assist schools with the costs of work experience, such as transportation, and the development of a virtual work experience platform to improve the accessibility of opportunities. Piloting work began in October 2024, with end of pilot reporting in August 2025.
Higher education (HE) plays an important role in ensuring that individuals gain the skills they need to succeed in life and the department will support the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to pursue this, regardless of their background.
All HE providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) that intend to charge higher level tuition fees are required to have an access and participation plan approved by the OfS. These plans articulate how providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups. In creating their plans, providers should consider the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register, which details 12 key sector risks across the student lifecycle and the student groups most likely to experience these, including young carers.
Whilst many HE providers have demonstrated positive examples of supporting young carers, including targeted outreach and on course bursaries and mentoring, the department is keen to see the sector go further. By summer, the department will set out its plan for HE reform, and we expect providers to play an even stronger role in improving access and outcomes for all disadvantaged students, including young carers.