Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to provide additional funding to Social Work England for the provision of additional fitness to practice final hearings.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has provided additional funding of £7.1 million to Social Work England to clear the backlog of legacy cases inherited from the previous regulator. The department continues to look at ways to provide additional support to reduce cases currently at final hearing stage.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate the impact of delays to fitness to practice final hearings on (a) the public and (b) social workers.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
To mitigate the impact of delays to fitness to practice final hearings on the public and social workers, the department and Social Work England have made changes to legislation for operational efficiencies. In addition, the department has provided additional funds of £7.1 million to Social Work England to clear the backlog of legacy cases inherited from the previous regulator.
The department and Social Work England continue to work together to reduce delays to fitness to hearings through increasing the number of hearings held wherever possible.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to increase pay in the further education sector.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government does not set or recommend pay in further education (FE), and the FE sector does not have a Pay Review Body (PRB). Colleges are not bound by the national pay and conditions framework for school teachers and are free to implement their own pay arrangements.
The department will continue with its plans to invest in FE teachers, as part of approximately £600 million funding across the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years, including targeted retention incentive payments of up to £6,000 for eligible early career FE teachers.
This government will consider the important contribution of non-PRB workforces, including FE, and will consider workforce sufficiency and what this might mean for FE funding in future years, as part of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of support for children with SEND in Lancashire.
Answered by David Johnston
Lancashire were last inspected under the previous Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) framework and were issued with a Written Statement of Action (WSoA) with 12 areas of significant weakness. Following their revisit inspection, published in August 2020, Lancashire were moved onto an Accelerated Progress Plan (APP) for five areas of significant weakness which were deemed to have not made sufficient progress. A department Case Lead, alongside a NHS England and a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) adviser, worked with the local authority and monitored their progress against the APP. After a series of reviews and data analysis, in 2021 the decision was taken that based on the evidence provided, that Lancashire had demonstrated clear and sustained progress against the areas highlighted in the accelerated progress plan.
As with all local areas, the department has continued to provide support and challenge to Lancashire through their regional case lead, who seeks regular assurance, through conversations with SEND leads, that they are sustaining the progress made. The department also analyses Lancashire’s position through the annual SEN2 data publication, assessing their data performance and using this information to shape discussions. This progress will be assessed in the next Ofsted and CQC inspection, with all local authorities due to be inspected by the end of 2027.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy for carers who work less than 16 hours a week to be eligible to access 30 hours of free childcare.
Answered by David Johnston
To be eligible for the working parent entitlement, which includes the current 30 hours offer, parents will need to earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage, which is £183 per week or £9,518 per year in 2024/25, and less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year. A parent on carer’s leave, or in receipt of certain benefits, may be eligible provided their partner is working and meets the eligibility criteria. Currently, there are no plans to change the eligibility criteria.
All 3 and 4 year olds are eligible for the universal 15 hour free entitlement, regardless of their parents’ circumstances. This is available the term after a child turns three and is available for 38 weeks a year. Further information on the entitlement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department employs in-house photographers to capture images of Ministers undertaking their official duties.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department’s communications team includes a Digital Engagement and Creative Content team who create content to help communicate key messages to the public via social media feeds belonging to the Department. This content includes: photos, videos, graphics and animations. In addition, this can include occasional photography for Education Ministers undertaking their official duties.
Information about separate digital image files in the Department per minister is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many separate digital image files her Department holds per Minister in her Department undertaking official duties; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department’s communications team includes a Digital Engagement and Creative Content team who create content to help communicate key messages to the public via social media feeds belonging to the Department. This content includes: photos, videos, graphics and animations. In addition, this can include occasional photography for Education Ministers undertaking their official duties.
Information about separate digital image files in the Department per minister is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of specialist schools are approved (a) 1, (b) 2-3, (c) 4-5 and (d) more than 6 months after their first registration.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Specialist Schools Programme ended in 2011. Archive information on the programme is available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20100106023420/http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/specialistschools/.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the current waiting time is for the registration of new specialist schools; and what recent steps she is taking to speed up the process.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Specialist Schools Programme ended in 2011. Archive information on the programme is available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20100106023420/http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/specialistschools/.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with providers of specialist schools to discuss the registration process for new specialist schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Specialist Schools Programme ended in 2011. Archive information on the programme is available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20100106023420/http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/specialistschools/.