Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) treating stipends for PhD students as income for the purposes of calculating benefit entitlement and (b) not treating when calculating entitlement to free childcare hours on PhD students.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It is our 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.
Student parents are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.
Students who work in addition to studying may be eligible for 30 hours free childcare if they meet the income requirements. PhD stipends are non-taxable income and therefore do not count towards the income requirements of the 30 hours childcare entitlement.
Students in full time higher education are eligible for the childcare grant to support childcare costs for children under 15, or under 17 if they have special educational needs. Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/support-while-you-study.
Parents eligible for Universal Credit childcare offer can be reimbursed up to 85% of registered childcare costs each month, up to the maximum amounts (caps).
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of road closures to prevent vehicles disturbing standing water that has collected after heavy rainfall on properties at risk of flooding.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The organisational responsibilities and operational processes for local road closures due to flooding are generally held by the Highways Department of the relevant local authority and the Emergency Services. Local private roads are the responsibility of the relevant landowner.
Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. Section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 allows for local highway authorities to close roads temporarily when there is likelihood of danger to the public or the possibility of serious damage to the highway.
The Environment Agency works with local authorities in advance of potential flooding to advise them about current and predicted water levels, the local authority will then decide on whether to close roads. In many cases the extent of roads likely to be affected by flooding is well understood and arrangements to manage closures well-rehearsed.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of setting minimum quality standards for mobile phone connections.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
There are widely recognised international technical standards for mobile telecommunications services in place, developed through the International Telecommunications Union and Third Generation Partnership Project. These standards set out technical performance requirements and metrics.
Ofcom recently updated its definition of ‘good’ mobile coverage as part of the update to their mobile coverage checker tool, ‘Map Your Mobile’. This reflects the level of service required to carry out the tasks people expect to use their mobile device for today.
User’s expectations of what they expect to be able to do on their mobile device evolve over time. In the recent proposed Ofcom Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services, therefore, government asked Ofcom to keep under review its definitions of “good” 4G and 5G.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to support the development of (a) affordable and (b) accessible padel courts in (i) North West Leicestershire and (ii) in Britain.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this. I also visited Barnsley Padel Club a few weeks ago to discuss local padel provision.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives in England that will benefit as many people as possible.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to address the lack of (a) indoor and (b) covered tennis and facilities in North West Leicestershire.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this. I also visited Barnsley Padel Club a few weeks ago to discuss local padel provision.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives in England that will benefit as many people as possible.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with PackUK on the adequacy of communications with households on changes to household collections under Simpler Recycling.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities are best placed to communicate specific new collection requirements with their residents when rolling out services. Defra and PackUK are working closely on opportunities to support local authorities with the communication of the changes to household recycling. To support local authorities, Defra has provided £79.5 million transitional resource funding for food waste including specific funding for communications. Under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging legislation, producers‘ disposal fees will contribute to the costs of public information campaigns by the scheme administrator to promote the correct recycling and disposal of packaging waste.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the role of play in supporting the (a) development and (b) learning of (i) children with special educational needs and disabilities and (ii) other children; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that reductions in school break times do not limit opportunities for play during the school day.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises that play is critical to children’s wellbeing, learning and development. This is reflected in the early years foundation stage statutory framework, which supports early years practitioners to design a rich curriculum that includes regular opportunities for play-based learning.
Governing bodies (for maintained schools) and academy trusts (for academies) are responsible for deciding when sessions should begin and end on each school day. They are also responsible for deciding the length of each lesson and the timings for the morning session, the midday break and the afternoon session. The department does not collect data on the number of breaks, including lunch time, that schools schedule into their daily and weekly timetable.
Government guidance sets out the expectation that a school week is a minimum of 32.5 hours, inclusive of breaks. However, the department does not collect data on the amount of time provided.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department collects data on the amount of (a) break and (b) lunch time provided in schools; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reduced break times on (i) disabled children and (ii) pupils with special educational needs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises that play is critical to children’s wellbeing, learning and development. This is reflected in the early years foundation stage statutory framework, which supports early years practitioners to design a rich curriculum that includes regular opportunities for play-based learning.
Governing bodies (for maintained schools) and academy trusts (for academies) are responsible for deciding when sessions should begin and end on each school day. They are also responsible for deciding the length of each lesson and the timings for the morning session, the midday break and the afternoon session. The department does not collect data on the number of breaks, including lunch time, that schools schedule into their daily and weekly timetable.
Government guidance sets out the expectation that a school week is a minimum of 32.5 hours, inclusive of breaks. However, the department does not collect data on the amount of time provided.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reduced school (a) break and (b) lunch times on the (i) wellbeing and (ii) social inclusion of (A) disabled pupils and (B) pupils with special educational needs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises that play is critical to children’s wellbeing, learning and development. This is reflected in the early years foundation stage statutory framework, which supports early years practitioners to design a rich curriculum that includes regular opportunities for play-based learning.
Governing bodies (for maintained schools) and academy trusts (for academies) are responsible for deciding when sessions should begin and end on each school day. They are also responsible for deciding the length of each lesson and the timings for the morning session, the midday break and the afternoon session. The department does not collect data on the number of breaks, including lunch time, that schools schedule into their daily and weekly timetable.
Government guidance sets out the expectation that a school week is a minimum of 32.5 hours, inclusive of breaks. However, the department does not collect data on the amount of time provided.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools on ensuring that reductions in (a) break and (b) lunch times do not disproportionately impact (i) disabled pupils and (ii) pupils with special educational needs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises that play is critical to children’s wellbeing, learning and development. This is reflected in the early years foundation stage statutory framework, which supports early years practitioners to design a rich curriculum that includes regular opportunities for play-based learning.
Governing bodies (for maintained schools) and academy trusts (for academies) are responsible for deciding when sessions should begin and end on each school day. They are also responsible for deciding the length of each lesson and the timings for the morning session, the midday break and the afternoon session. The department does not collect data on the number of breaks, including lunch time, that schools schedule into their daily and weekly timetable.
Government guidance sets out the expectation that a school week is a minimum of 32.5 hours, inclusive of breaks. However, the department does not collect data on the amount of time provided.