Baroness Taylor of Bolton Portrait

Baroness Taylor of Bolton

Labour - Life peer

Became Member: 13th June 2005


1 APPG membership (as of 24 Jan 2024)
Football
2 Former APPG memberships
Football Club, France
Fraud Act 2006 and Digital Fraud Committee
19th Jan 2022 - 22nd Jun 2022
Constitution Committee
27th Jun 2017 - 19th Jan 2022
Constitution Committee
12th Jun 2014 - 19th Jan 2022
Leader's Group on Governance
23rd Mar 2015 - 14th Jan 2016
National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
6th Dec 2010 - 14th May 2014
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (International Defence and Security) (also in Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
5th Oct 2008 - 6th May 2010
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Defence and Security) (also in the Ministry of Defence)
8th Jun 2009 - 6th May 2010
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Procurement)
7th Nov 2007 - 5th Oct 2008
Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament
30th Jul 2001 - 11th Jul 2005
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
27th Jul 1998 - 7th Jun 2001
Parliamentary Privilege (Joint Committee)
30th Jul 1997 - 11th Nov 1999
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Privy Council Office)
3rd May 1997 - 26th Jul 1998
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
1st Aug 1994 - 1st May 1997
Standards and Privileges
23rd Oct 1996 - 21st Mar 1997
Standards in Public Life
16th Nov 1994 - 8th Nov 1995
Shadow Secretary of State
1st Aug 1994 - 1st Jul 1995
Shadow Secretary of State
11th Apr 1992 - 1st Aug 1994
Assistant Whip (HM Treasury)
19th Jan 1977 - 4th May 1979


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Baroness Taylor of Bolton has voted in 384 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
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Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
(5 debate interactions)
Lord True (Conservative)
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
(4 debate interactions)
Baroness Berridge (Conservative)
(4 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Cabinet Office
(8 debate contributions)
Department for Business and Trade
(6 debate contributions)
Department of Health and Social Care
(5 debate contributions)
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View all Baroness Taylor of Bolton's debates

Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Baroness Taylor of Bolton, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


Baroness Taylor of Bolton has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Baroness Taylor of Bolton has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 46 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
6th Sep 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to deposit in the Library of the House all tender documents for modular classrooms since July 2023 under the Offsite Constructions Agreement (Framework Agreement RM6184).

It is not our intention to deposit the tender documentation into the Library of the House. It is the responsibility of individual customer authorities to publish contracting information on Contracts Finder and/or other transparency platforms.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
25th Jul 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the email from the Secretary of State for Education to school leaders and others on 20 July entitled 'Thank you for your work this year', (1) how many people were sent that email, (2) what proportion of recipients were sent it by virtue of (a) having signed up to receive it, (b) being school leaders, or (c) both, (3) what were the open rates for that email in respect of each of the categories above, and (4) what codes of guidance around the political nature of emails govern the (i) tone, and (ii) content, sent to headteachers by the Secretary of State.

The end of term email from the Secretary of State was sent to 45,418 email addresses. Of those recipients:

  • 27,064 were subscribers who had opted to receive these updates from the Secretary of State.
  • 21,850 were school leader contact email addresses held by the department for school leaders (all primary and secondary schools (England only), including specialist settings. This includes Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provision providers, but excludes independent schools, such as trust accounting officers.
  • To note: the email platform used removes any duplication between these two data sets, so the final figure (45,418 email addresses) is not a sum of a) and b).

The email has a 45% unique open rate. It was opened 60,245 times as of 26 July 2023, indicating that it had been forwarded beyond the original contact list. The open rate cannot be broken down by categories of school leaders versus subscribers.

As with all departmental communications, Civil Service advice is provided on tone and content, along with factual accuracy checks to ensure it meets the needs of the audience it is intended for.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
20th Jul 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department for Education records the academic proprietor in respect of complaints they receive about (1) academy schools, and (2) multi-academy trusts; and whether they will publish a table of the number of complaints received in respect of each trust in each of the past five years.

The department does not intend to publish a table of the information requested. The department’s remit is to consider whether the academy school or multi-academy trust has a complaints procedure that is compliant with Part 7 of the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, and that they have allowed their own complaints procedure to be completed, when handling complaints received. The department does not consider the subject of the complaint, as academies are autonomous bodies and they are responsible for handling complaints raised against them.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
12th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government how many staff have been reprimanded for inappropriate political activity given the nature of their employment at (1) the Department for Education, (2) Ofqual, (3) Ofsted, and (4) each of the Executive Agencies for which the Secretary of State for Education is the Minister, in each of the last five years.

In the last five years, no employees of the department or its Executive Agencies have been reprimanded for inappropriate political activity.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
12th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government how many separate digital photographs have been taken at public expense of the Secretary of State for Education since 7 September this year.

Four digital photographs of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, were taken since 7 September 2022. These were welcome photos featuring the department’s Permanent Secretary for use on the internal staff intranet. These were all taken in-house at no cost. Four photos were additionally taken for use on social media.

Since 15 September 2021, approximately 20 photos of those who have held the post of Secretary of State for Education are currently stored by the department’s social media team.

Regarding the most recent photography captured with the department’s ministers, the dates are as follows:

  • Welcome photographs of the Secretary of State on 7 September 2022.
  • Welcome photographs of my hon. Friend, the Minister for Schools and Childhood, on 8 September 2022.
  • Photograph of the department’s ministerial team at an all-staff meeting on 22 September 2022.
  • Photograph of my hon. Friend, the Minister for School Standards, on a school visit on 6 October 2022.

These photos were taken in-house at zero cost for use on our staff intranet and social media channels. Photos of the department’s ministerial team that are featured on gov.uk are provided by Parliament.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
12th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government how many separate digital photographs are currently stored by the Department for Education of those individuals who have held the post of Secretary of State for Education since 15 September 2021.

Four digital photographs of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, were taken since 7 September 2022. These were welcome photos featuring the department’s Permanent Secretary for use on the internal staff intranet. These were all taken in-house at no cost. Four photos were additionally taken for use on social media.

Since 15 September 2021, approximately 20 photos of those who have held the post of Secretary of State for Education are currently stored by the department’s social media team.

Regarding the most recent photography captured with the department’s ministers, the dates are as follows:

  • Welcome photographs of the Secretary of State on 7 September 2022.
  • Welcome photographs of my hon. Friend, the Minister for Schools and Childhood, on 8 September 2022.
  • Photograph of the department’s ministerial team at an all-staff meeting on 22 September 2022.
  • Photograph of my hon. Friend, the Minister for School Standards, on a school visit on 6 October 2022.

These photos were taken in-house at zero cost for use on our staff intranet and social media channels. Photos of the department’s ministerial team that are featured on gov.uk are provided by Parliament.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
12th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total expenditure on the 95 per cent co-payments for SME apprenticeships in each of the last five years.

The table below shows the total value of co-investment by the government to support apprenticeships in levy-paying employers in the 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years.

Financial Year

Total co-investment spend by government for levy paying employers (£million)

2017/18

14

2018/19

52

2019/20

76

2020/21

106

The government pays 95% of training costs for employers that don't pay the levy, who are often small and medium sized enterprises, with these employers required to co-invest the remaining 5%. Apprenticeships that started before 1 April 2019, when the co-investment rate was reduced to 5%, continue at the previous co-investment rate of 10%.

The table below shows the total value of co-investment by the government to support apprenticeships in non-levy paying employers in the 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years.

Financial Year

Total co-investment spend by government for non-levy paying employers (£million)

2017/18

189

2018/19

528

2019/20

650

2020/21

557

To note, the expenditure in both tables includes spend on additional payments to employers and providers, such as for English and maths training and for learner support. These costs are met by government, through the wider apprenticeship budget for all employers, and are not deducted from the balance of funds in employers’ apprenticeship service accounts.

The department’s accounts for 2021/22 financial year have not yet been audited and published.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
12th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total expenditure on the 95 per cent co-payments for apprenticeships in apprenticeship levy partners who have spent all their levy funds in each of the last five years.

The table below shows the total value of co-investment by the government to support apprenticeships in levy-paying employers in the 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years.

Financial Year

Total co-investment spend by government for levy paying employers (£million)

2017/18

14

2018/19

52

2019/20

76

2020/21

106

The government pays 95% of training costs for employers that don't pay the levy, who are often small and medium sized enterprises, with these employers required to co-invest the remaining 5%. Apprenticeships that started before 1 April 2019, when the co-investment rate was reduced to 5%, continue at the previous co-investment rate of 10%.

The table below shows the total value of co-investment by the government to support apprenticeships in non-levy paying employers in the 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years.

Financial Year

Total co-investment spend by government for non-levy paying employers (£million)

2017/18

189

2018/19

528

2019/20

650

2020/21

557

To note, the expenditure in both tables includes spend on additional payments to employers and providers, such as for English and maths training and for learner support. These costs are met by government, through the wider apprenticeship budget for all employers, and are not deducted from the balance of funds in employers’ apprenticeship service accounts.

The department’s accounts for 2021/22 financial year have not yet been audited and published.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th Jul 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations the Department for Education has made to either (1) the UK Health Security Agency, or (2) the Department of Health and Social Care, to encourage school staff to be given priority for COVID-19 booster vaccinations.

Identifying priority groups for vaccinations are clinical decisions taken by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), informed by advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation (JCVI). JCVI advised that the primary objective of the 2022 autumn booster programme is to augment immunity in those at higher risk from COVID-19 and thereby optimise protection against severe COVID-19, specifically hospitalisation and death, over winter 2022/23.

Other school staff are currently not eligible to receive an autumn booster as part of this programme. However, staff who meet the central eligibility criteria are entitled to a free flu vaccination through the NHS, and schools can choose to provide flu vaccines for their staff through their occupational health services.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
22nd Jun 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings were held between the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Transport between 15 September 2021 and 20 June 2022 in which the issue of children travelling to school by train was raised.

My right hon. Friend, the former Secretary of State for Education, did not formally meet in a one to one format with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Transport, between 15 September 2021 and 20 June 2022.

Ministers and officials in the department regularly attend meetings alongside other government departments, including the Department for Transport, and have done so in the lead up to the strike action. These meetings have been to prepare for the industrial action, highlighting risks and contingencies for our sectors. Daily meetings are taking place, both at an official and ministerial level, to monitor how the rail disruption may be impacting pupils and students.

The department will continue to closely monitor the impact of the rail strikes.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
22nd Jun 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government on which dates the Secretary of State for Education met the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss travel contingencies for students travelling by rail to (1) school, (2) college, or (3) university, during periods of disruption to rail services.

My right hon. Friend, the former Secretary of State for Education, did not formally meet in a one to one format with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Transport, between 15 September 2021 and 20 June 2022.

Ministers and officials in the department regularly attend meetings alongside other government departments, including the Department for Transport, and have done so in the lead up to the strike action. These meetings have been to prepare for the industrial action, highlighting risks and contingencies for our sectors. Daily meetings are taking place, both at an official and ministerial level, to monitor how the rail disruption may be impacting pupils and students.

The department will continue to closely monitor the impact of the rail strikes.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
9th Jun 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government through what process the post of the Children’s Commissioner for England is filled; what the term of appointment is; whether the appointment is renewable; and if so, how many times the appointment can be renewed.

Paragraph 3 (1) of Schedule 1 of the Children Act 2004 states that the Children’s Commissioner is to be appointed by the Secretary of State.

The Children's Commissioner for England is a significant public appointment. This means the appointment process must adhere to the requirements of the Governance Code for Public Appointments, and that the preferred candidate is subject to scrutiny by the Education Select Committee.

Paragraph 3 (4) and (5) of Schedule 1 of the Children Act 2004 (“the 2004 Act”) states that a Commissioner can only be appointed for a maximum term of up to six years, and that a person who has previously held office as the Children’s Commissioner may not be considered for reappointment.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
9th Jun 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government through what process the post of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is filled; what the term of appointment is; whether the appointment is renewable; and if so, how many times the appointment can be renewed.

Appointments to the post of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector are conducted in line with the Public Appointments Process, following the Governance Code, as set out by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Further information on this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-code-for-public-appointments.

These are Crown Appointments made by the Queen in Council, on the recommendation of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. The duration of terms served for public appointments can vary, but it is presumed that no individual should serve more than two terms or serve in any one post for more than ten years.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
9th Jun 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the independence of the office of the Children’s Commissioner for England; and whether it is consistent with the independence of that office for the postholder to be a member of a registered political party.

The Children’s Commissioner post is a significant public appointment and must adhere to the requirements of the Governance Code for Public Appointments.

In accordance with Section 9 of the Governance Code for Public Appointments, it is permissible for public appointees to be politically active providing the activity is publicly declared. The Office of the Children’s Commissioner has published a register of interest on their website for their Advisory Board, Audit and Risk Committee and Senior Leadership team.

As set out in the Framework Document between the Children’s Commissioner and the Department for Education, the Commissioner has freedom to determine their own priorities and activities, and should be subject to as few constraints as possible in deciding how to carry out their business within their statutory remit. This independence is secured primarily through the Children Act 2004.

The Commissioner is required under Section 8 (1) of the Children Act 2004, to publish an annual report which sets out the way in which she has discharged her functions, and what she has found in the course of exercising those functions. This report is sent to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and laid before each House of Parliament.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
26th Apr 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government through what process the post of the Children’s Commissioner for England is filled; what the term of appointment is; whether the appointment is renewable; and if so, how many times the appointment can be renewed.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
26th Apr 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the independence of the office of the Children’s Commissioner for England; and whether it is consistent with the independence of that office for the postholder to be a member of a registered political party.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
26th Apr 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what requirement as to political independence is placed on (1) appointments to the post of Children’s Commissioner for England, and (2) appointments made by the Children’s Commissioner for England to that office.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
26th Apr 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government through what process the post of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is filled; what the term of appointment is; whether the appointment is renewable; and if so, how many times the appointment can be renewed.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
23rd Mar 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the damage to the marine environment caused by the disposal of single use vapes.

We have not made an assessment of the environmental impacts of disposable vapes. However, as part of the review of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations, we will consult on policies aimed at driving up levels of separate collection of electric and electronic waste, including vaping devices, later this year.

Lord Benyon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
22nd Jun 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children at (1) state-funded schools, and (2) independent schools, who travel to school using national rail services.

The National Travel Survey does not provide a breakdown by state-funded and independent schools.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
22nd Jun 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children at (1) primary schools, and (2) secondary schools, who travel to school using national rail services.

The National Travel Survey does not provide a breakdown by state-funded and independent schools.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
23rd Mar 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban the sale of single use vapes.

There are no immediate plans to introduce a ban on disposable vaping devices.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
6th Sep 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have removed Covid vaccine access for five to 11 year olds given that recent rates of reported cases in children have exceeded those in adults.

There has been no change to the offer of COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged five to 11 years old. In February 2022, the Government accepted advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for a one-off, non-urgent vaccine offer for children aged five to 11 years old not in clinical risk groups. This offer has been applicable to children aged five years old by 31 August 2022 and eligible children may still receive this vaccination.

On 15 July 2022, the Government accepted the advice of the JCVI to offer a booster vaccination in autumn 2022 for those at higher risk of severe COVID-19. All children aged five years old and over in a clinical risk group are eligible for a booster dose in the autumn campaign.

19th Jul 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the impact on (1) the health and wellbeing of school staff, (2) the manner in which COVID-19 is transmitted in education settings, and (3) the health of children and young people at school, when deciding not to include school staff, teachers and support staff in the list of eligible categories for the COVID-19 booster vaccine.

In considering the eligible categories for the COVID-19 booster vaccine, the Government is guided by the independent expert Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on COVID-19 vaccinations. On 15 July 2022, the Government accepted advice from the JCVI on the eligibility criteria for the autumn booster vaccination programme in 2022.

The JCVI advised that the primary objective of the booster vaccine programme is to increase immunity in those at higher risk from severe illness, hospitalisation and death in winter 2022/23. The JCVI’s assessment of eligibility considered that while the vaccines offer good protection against severe outcomes in vulnerable individuals, it provides relatively brief protection from non-severe symptomatic disease. Therefore, the JCVI advised that the following should be eligible for an autumn booster dose: all adults aged 50 years old and over; those aged five to 49 years old in a clinical risk group, including pregnant women; those aged five to 49 years old who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression; those aged 16 to 49 years old who are carers; residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults; and frontline health and social care workers.

The JCVI's current advice is that only school staff, teachers and support staff at higher risk from severe COVID-19 illness in these eligible groups will be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccination, in addition to children aged five years old and over who are at clinical risk.

31st Jan 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money they have spent on the Continuity of Education Allowance programme in respect of the families of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office staff in each of the last 10 years; and how many children have benefitted from that programme.

The details of the number of children, and how much the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have spent in each of the last 10 financial years on the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) policy are in the table below:

Academic YearTotal SpendTotal Number of Children
2012/13£12,640,489.05684
2013/14£14,651,331.96637
2014/15£14,322,691.28628
2015/16£13,440,797.70616
2016/17£13,870,134.56604
2017/18£13,531,420.70518
2018/19£14,060,063.38511
2019/20£14,916,298.06525
2020/21£14,951,945.41514
2021/22£14,410,903.45531

*Figures may differ from previously published figures due to process changes/financial systems over the last 10 years

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
14th Sep 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the potential revenue of introducing a windfall tax on companies supplying (1) PPE, and (2) private COVID-19 tests.

It is right that, as the economy rebounds, those best able to contribute share in the task of restoring the public finances to a sustainable footing.

That is why, at Budget, the Chancellor announced an increase in the Corporation Tax (CT) rate from 19 per cent to 25 per cent from 2023 onwards. This will, by definition, only apply to companies that are making profits, and profitable businesses have continued to pay CT throughout the pandemic.

31st Jan 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government which schools have received some funding through the Continuity of Education Allowance programme in each of the last 10 years; in which years they received such funding; and in each year, how much funding was received by each school.

The attached excel spreadsheet contains a table which details the schools which have received funding under Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) payments made by the Ministry of Defence, how much and for which financial year, for the last ten financial years.

31st Jan 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money they have spent on the Continuity of Education Allowance programme in respect of the families of Ministry of Defence employed staff in each of the last 10 years; and how many children have benefitted from that programme.

The below table details the number of children supported and the amount spent on the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) by the Ministry of Defence in the last ten financial years.

Financial Year

Number of Children

Number of Service Personnel

Total Spend

2012-13

7,357

4,951

£98.82 million

2013-14

6,310

4,300

£89.25 million

2014-15

5,803

3,880

£84.51 million

2015-16

5,516

3,671

£80.86 million

2016-17

5,273

3,486

£103.45 million

2017-18

4,550

3,075

£79.79 million

2018-19

4,609

3,048

£80.22 million

2019-20

4,430

2,982

£83.23 million

2020-21

4,307

2,901

£79.58 million

2021-22

4,324

2,897

£83.25 million


31st Jan 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money they have spent on the Continuity of Education Allowance programme in each of the last 10 years; and how many children of those families have benefitted from that programme.

The below table details the number of children supported and the amount spent on the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) by the Ministry of Defence in the last ten financial years.

Financial Year

Number of Children

Number of Service Personnel

Total Spend

2012-13

7,357

4,951

£98.82 million

2013-14

6,310

4,300

£89.25 million

2014-15

5,803

3,880

£84.51 million

2015-16

5,516

3,671

£80.86 million

2016-17

5,273

3,486

£103.45 million

2017-18

4,550

3,075

£79.79 million

2018-19

4,609

3,048

£80.22 million

2019-20

4,430

2,982

£83.23 million

2020-21

4,307

2,901

£79.58 million

2021-22

4,324

2,897

£83.25 million


25th Jan 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 4 January (HL11555), (1) how much funding has been made available from the budget of the Reform Programme, and (2) how much money has been allocated from Administrative Data Research UK, for implementing the recommendations of the report by Dr Natalie Byrom Making the most of HMCTS data: HMCTS’ full response and update to Dr Byrom’s recommendations, published on 9 October 2020.

Dr Byrom’s report makes a number of important recommendations which HMCTS is in the process of implementing. Because HMCTS’s response to the recommendations is integrated into the wider work on reviewing data use and management, spending is included in departmental and programme budgets. As such, it is not possible to disaggregate work on the recommendations from other work on data. In addition to spending from these departmental and programme budgets, HMCTS has allocated £4.92m of reform funding specifically to implementing our Data Strategy in 2020/2021.HMCTS budgets for future years have not yet been set.

ADR UK awarded MoJ a grant of £2.89m over three years for the data-linking programme Data First to facilitate and promote research in the area of justice. This work was commissioned for overall strategic aims of ADR UK and Data First and not specifically to address the recommendations from the Byrom report.

25th Jan 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 23 December 2020 (HL11500), how they assess the (1) effectiveness, and (2) value for money, of Nightingale courts; and on what basis the decision was taken in December 2020 to open nine more Nightingale courts.

Nightingale courts provide much needed additional capacity for face-to-face hearings in a Covid-safe environment and contribute greatly for our response to the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of our recovery plans, we are working towards establishing a total of 60 additional court rooms through Nightingale courts by the end of March 2021.

When considering Nightingale courts, we assess where the need is greatest and look for suitable venues based on hearing capacity, whether building alterations are required, safety and security and length of hire. We consider the cost of provision, using public buildings where these are available and suitable, and each venue is assessed for value for money before final decisions are made.

Cases are listed in Nightingale courts in the same way as our permanent estate, and at similar utilisation rates.

25th Jan 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 23 December 2020 (HL11501), what is the parent court for each Nightingale court; and what was (1) the number of days sat in each parent court from 1 January 2019 to the date on which its Nightingale court opened, and (2) the number of days sat in each parent court from the date on which its Nightingale court opened.

We have now opened Nightingale courts at 21 locations bringing the total number of temporary court rooms set up nationwide to 40. These additional temporary courtrooms have allowed us to increase capacity, particularly for jury trials, in locations where there is an operational requirement and hold additional hearings within a safe environment.

A list of Nightingale parent courts and the number of days sat in each parent court is provided in the table below using the latest available validated data.

Table showing data on sitting days covering the period 1 January 2019 to 30 November 2020

Parent Court(s)

Associated Nightingale Court

Nightingale Court Open Date

Sitting Day1 Total in Parent Court Only before Nightingale Court (Jan 2019 - Nightingale Court Open Date)

Sitting Day 1Total in Parent Court Only after Nightingale Court (Nightingale Court Open Date - Nov 2020)

Worthing Magistrates' and County Court

East Pallant House

20/07/20

1743

421

Southwark Crown Court

Prospero House

03/08/20

3540

628

Swansea Crown Court (St Helen's)

Swansea Civic Centre

17/08/20

1308

214

Telford Justice Centre2

Former County Court at Telford

17/08/20

1967

315

Teesside Combined Court

Middlesbrough Town Hall

18/08/20

5275

817

Blackpool County Court

Former Magistrates court Fleetwood

24/08/20

1027

92

Blackpool Magistrates' Court

Former Magistrates court Fleetwood

24/08/20

1748

253

East London Family Court

102 Petty France

24/08/20

3732

614

Leeds Combined Court

Cloth Hall Court

28/08/20

8991

1130

Luton Crown Court

Knights' chamber and visitor centre Peterborough Cathedral

28/08/20

1435

280

York County Court

York, Hilton hotel

28/09/20

1736

195

Manchester Crown Court (Crown Square)

The Lowry theatre, Salford

28/09/20

3927

357

Manchester Crown Court (Minshull street)

The Lowry theatre, Salford

28/09/20

2691

235

Manchester tribunal3

The Lowry theatre, Salford

28/09/20

5299

443

Teesside Combined Court (Middlesbrough County Court)

Middlesbrough, Jury's Inn hotel

28/09/20

5559

521

Chester Crown Court

Chester, Chester Town Hall

19/10/20

1465

116

Bristol Crown Court

Bristol Law Society

19/10/20

2881

145

Bristol Civil Justice Centre

Bristol Law Society

19/10/20

5782

361

Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts

Liverpool, St Georges Hall

26/10/20

8317

548

Winchester Combined Court

Winchester Guild Hall

26.10.20

1975

124

1. If a courtroom has been used at all on a given day, we count that as 1 ‘day sat’

2. Includes Telford Justice Centre Annex

3. Manchester Tribunals: Includes Alexandra House – Manchester Tribunal and Piccadilly Exchange – Manchester Tribunal

Data and management information can change over time and are not subject to the same level of checks as official statistics. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and is the best data that is available.

Ensuring that we can operate safely during the Covid-19 pandemic is our top priority. We have put in place measures in our court rooms so that they can hold Covid-19 secure trials, moved to virtual hearings where possible and opened additional court rooms in Nightingale courts as part of a package to increase available capacity.

7th Jan 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they collect data on people's experience of remote court hearings; and, if not, what plans they have to do so.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) are evaluating the use of remote hearings during the Covid-19 outbreak. This will include a large-scale survey of over 5000 public users, capturing their experiences of and attitudes to remote hearings. Survey findings will be supplemented by in-depth interviews with users on their experiences. HMCTS will publish the findings of the evaluation once it is complete and has been quality assured.

In addition, as part of HMCTS’s ongoing perceptions work, all users can complete a short feedback survey on how they found their remote hearing.

HMCTS are also continuing to develop the Video Hearings Service as part of Reform. The Video Hearings Service is being tested in a small number of courts, and HMCTS are conducting research with users on their experiences to inform development of the service.

16th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they will make available to Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service to implement those recommendations they accepted in their response to the report by Dr Natalie Byrom Making the most  of HMCTS data: HMCTS’ full response and update to  Dr Byrom’s recommendations, published on 9 October.

HMCTS published a full response and progress update in October 2020 to Dr Byrom’s report Digital Justice: HMCTS data strategy and delivering access to justice. The response is attached and details HMCTS response and progress made to date on each of the 29 recommendations.

Delivery of HMCTS response is funded in part through existing budgets including the Reform programme, and in part through funding from Administrative Data Research UK.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
16th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a timetable for implementing the recommendations they accepted in their response to the report by Dr Natalie Byrom Making the most  of HMCTS data: HMCTS’ full response and update to Dr Byrom’s recommendations, published on 9 October.

HMCTS published a full response and progress update in October 2020 to Dr Byrom’s report Digital Justice: HMCTS data strategy and delivering access to justice. The response is attached and is also available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hmcts-response-and-progress-update-on-dr-natalie-byrom-report and details HMCTS response and progress made to date on each of the 29 recommendations.

The response confirms timelines for the collection of protected characteristics data; for starting to share data with academic researchers and others as part of the Data First project, and for the development of our approach to open and shared data.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
16th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what targets they have set, if any, for reducing the backlog of outstanding cases across courts and tribunals in England and Wales.

HMCTS has published an update on their response to Covid-19 in the criminal courts, Civil and Family Courts and Tribunals in England and Wales, please see attached.

This provides a comprehensive update on recovery plans and the work being undertaken to restore capacity. This includes installing plexiglass screens to make the estate COVID-secure, recruiting additional staff and establishing Nightingale courts.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
16th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many house repossession claims were outstanding in each month since March this year.

The requested information is not held by HMCTS. Some possession claims do not progress because they have concluded by other means without the court being notified (for example because the Defendant has left the property or paid any arrears) and for this reason outstanding volumes cannot be calculated.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
16th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many family law cases were outstanding in each month of this year.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service publishes management information on workload and timeliness within the family courts on a monthly basis. This includes the number of outstanding cases which have been receipted but not yet disposed of at the end of each month.

The following table details the number of private family law (children) cases and public family law cases outstanding at the end of each month of this year. This presents the most current data at the time of responding.

Month

Private Family Law – outstanding cases

Public Family Law – outstanding cases

January 2020

51,906

18,841

February 2020

53,844

19,367

March 2020

56,378

19,958

April 2020

58,819

19,626

May 2020

62,528

20,478

June 2020

66,271

21,156

July 2020

69,993

21,915

August 2020

73,126

22,390

September 2020

72,812

22,881

This information is extracted from HMCTS case management systems and as management information, it is not subject to the same quality assurance process as official statistics. The latest HMCTS management information report (October 2020) can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/hmcts-management-information-october-2020.

The information relating to outstanding private family law case excludes applications made under the Family Law Act 1996. This information is not published.

Information about the volume of outstanding divorce applications each month is not published. However, this HMCTS management information report does contain other data about the management of divorce applications.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
15th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many hours each of the 'Nightingale Courts' have been (1) open, and (2) sitting for court business, in each month since July.

As part of our recovery plans across all jurisdictions, Nightingale Courts have enabled us to open a great deal of additional court capacity.

All 18 of the existing Nightingale Courts operate regular court opening hours of 9-5pm, and this will apply also to the additional five Nightingale sites announced this week. Data on sitting days in each court is recorded under their parent court. It is therefore not possible to disaggregate the data with sufficient granularity to set out sitting hours in each Nightingale.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
15th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many trials have been completed in the Crown Court of England and Wales in each month of 2020.

Crown Court trials which proceed on the planned date are recorded as effective. We do not record trials in the Crown Court under a category of completed.

Data showing effective trials in each month of 2020 in England and Wales, can been found in the table below.

Published data is up to September 2020 (the end of Q3) and we are unable to provide data past that point.

Year

Month

Number of effective trials1

2020

January

906

February

824

March

520

April

-

May

8

June

61

July

200

August

275

September

471

Notes:

1). The total number of trials listed during the reporting period indicated, is considered 'effective' once a jury is sworn in regardless of whether they go on to reach a verdict. Not all cases will go to trial, for the purposes of trial effectiveness we consider a ‘trial’ at the point of initial listing. A trial which goes ahead on the planned date and occurs is then considered as ‘effective’, a trial that is listed but does not go ahead is considered either cracked, ineffective or vacated.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
15th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what the average wait time between charge and sentence for crimes tried by jury was (1) in each year from 2008 to 2019, and (2) in each month of 2020.

The average number of days taken from charge to completion for crimes tried by jury in the Crown Court in England and Wales between the period of 2008 to 2019 has been provided in the table below.

The average waiting time between charge and completion for crimes tried by jury in the Crown Court in England and Wales in each month of 2020 is not available at this time. This is due to MoJ changing its data gathering, access and release practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Number of defendants whose cases have completed 5

Charge to completion

Number

Mean

Median

2010 Q2-Q4

72,916

204

174

2011

92,813

210

178

2012

82,214

212

179

2013 7

76,134

196

165

2014

76,531

206

174

2015

76,818

232

189

2016

69,563

234

186

2017

64,592

224

178

2018

64,852

239

188

2019

57,463

226

178

Notes:

1) Includes cases with an offence to completion time greater than 10 years but excludes a small number of cases with identified data quality issues and breaches. 2) Includes all for trial criminal cases (triable-either-way and indictable only cases) which have received a verdict and concluded in the specified time period in the Crown Court. This data also includes cases where the prosecutor has chosen not to continue with the prosecution. Not all cases included in this data will have gone to a full jury trial, for example where the defendant has pleaded guilty before their trial date.

3) Only one offence is counted for each defendant in the case. If there is more than one offence per defendant that completes on the same day, a set of validation rules applies to select one offence only and these relate to the longest duration, seriousness and the lowest sequence number of the offence.

4) Data from Q1 2018 to Q4 2019 are not comparable with previous periods and there is a requirement to break the series. The data from Q1 2018 onwards has been revised following the identification of defendant attrition through the timeliness process, as a result these defendants have been put back into the analysis. It is our intention to investigate the more efficient and effective way to provide robust and reliable back series in future.

5) The number of defendants shows the number whose cases have completed and where it has been possible to match from initial appearance at magistrates’ court to completion in the Crown Court. The match rate is typically between 90-95%, as for some cases, it is not possible to match defendants through the system and these cases are excluded.

6) Timeliness figures are only available from April 2010, so data for 2010 is presented above for Q2 to Q4 only.

7) Committal proceedings were abolished nationally on 28th May 2013. Triable-either-way cases are now sent rather than committed for trial.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
15th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases were outstanding (1) in the Crown Court of England and Wales, and (2) in the magistrates’ courts, in each month of 2020.

The volume of outstanding cases in the criminal courts is published routinely. The latest available data for the number of cases outstanding (1) in the Crown Court of England and Wales, and (2) in the Magistrates’ courts, in each month of 2020 has been provided in the table below.

Magistrates1-3

Crown1,2

Month

Outstanding

Outstanding

Jan-20

314,169

38,411

Feb-20

316,818

39,218

Mar-20

337,897

40,037

Apr-20

391,228

40,997

May-20

415,559

41,342

Jun-20

433,516

42,459

Jul-20

444,173

44,892

Aug-20

443,605

47,544

Sep-20

424,651

50,123

Oct-20

411,807

52,133

Notes:

1) The management information presented in this table reflects what is recorded on relevant case-management systems on the date of extraction. The case-management systems are continually updated and so the information presented will differ from previously published information.

2) The management information presented is different from the quarterly MOJ official statistics published due to timing and definitional reasons. The official statistics go through a more comprehensive quality assurance and analysis process to ensure quality and coherence.

3) Figures above include all case offence types. However, MOJ published statistics are filtered to include only the following offence types: Triable-either-way, Indictable Only, Summary Motoring, Summary Non-Motoring, Breaches.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
15th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many claims before employment tribunals were outstanding in each month of 2020.

The published number of outstanding single employment tribunal claims each month in 2020 are set out below:

Month

Outstanding claims

Jan 2020

36,315

Feb 2020

35,653

Mar 2020

36,758

Apr 2020

39,241

May 2020

36,365

Jun 2020

42,786

Jul 2020

44,303

Aug 2020

45,130

Sep 2020

46,512

Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
15th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases have been heard to date in each of the 'Nightingale Courts'.

Recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is our top priority. By opening 18 Nightingale courts, we have added vital capacity and provided 33 extra court rooms, alleviating the pressure on courts and tribunals resulting from the pandemic. Additionally, we have secured £30m of funding to open a further 40 Nightingale court rooms in early 2021.

We do not break down data on cases heard in Nightingale Courts.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)