Coronavirus: Education Setting Attendance and Support for Pupils Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Coronavirus: Education Setting Attendance and Support for Pupils

Diana Johnson Excerpts
Thursday 23rd September 2021

(2 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Alex Burghart Portrait Alex Burghart
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My right hon. Friend is extremely learned in these matters. We have a testing programme in place to ensure that we limit the number of pupils in schools who have coronavirus. That was obviously the case as schools went back. I am sure that the relevant Minister will have heard his remarks.

Diana Johnson Portrait Dame Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)
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Hull is one of the most disadvantaged parts of the country, and there will be no levelling up without catching up. Will the Minister commit to the necessary catching-up budget proposed by his adviser, Sir Kevan Collins?

Alex Burghart Portrait Alex Burghart
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As I have said a number of times, we have put in £3 billion, with £1.5 billion on tutoring for 6 million tutoring programmes—100 million hours of tutoring—and an additional 2 million tutoring programmes in 16 to 19 education.[Official Report, 19 October 2021, Vol. 701, c. 6MC.] That is evidence-based, and we have a high degree of confidence that it will help children recover and get over the worst of the pandemic. The right hon. Lady will have also heard me say that a spending review is coming up.