Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Huw Merriman and Damian Hinds

Monday 11th March 2019 Commons Chamber

[Huw Merriman (Bexhill and Battle) (Con)]

On Friday, I was one of 3.5 million parents who received a letter from their school concerned that costs are outstripping funding. I was threatened with detention unless I asked the Secretary of State this: when it comes to more funding—and I hope that there will be more funding—will he ensure that it goes to those areas that are currently the lowest-funded counties?

[Damian Hinds]

Come the spending review, we will of course be looking at funding for education alongside other Departments. Funding for education is vital for our society and the productivity in our economy, and of course, we need to continue to look at how that is distributed through the national funding formula and to consider aspects such as rurality as part of that.

Education Funding

Debate between Huw Merriman and Damian Hinds

Tuesday 13th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Damian Hinds]

We want all people, whatever their background and whatever extra challenges they face, to be able to benefit from all that education, including higher education, has to offer. That is one reason why the Universities Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for East Surrey (Mr Gyimah), works closely with universities to ensure that, and why more than £800 million a year is spent on access and participation arrangements to ensure that access to universities is as wide as possible.

I was speaking about the expansion of the school estate. If hon. Members will forgive me, I will repeat myself. By the end of the decade, we will have created 1 million new places—the biggest expansion in school capacity for at least two generations, in contrast with the reductions I am afraid we saw under the Labour party. The latest data show that there is now less school overcrowding than when we came into government in 2010. The remarkable success of schools is of course thanks to the hard work and dedication of teachers and school leaders—and, let me add, of everyone else who plays a key role, such as school staff, parent teacher associations, governors and trustees.

I recognise that the Government and society ask more of schools than ever before, so I want to take the opportunity to set out the record investment we are making in schools. In the Budget, as well as hundreds of millions of pounds for reforms to apprenticeships, T-levels, the national retraining scheme and children’s social care, there was £400 million in additional capital funding for schools this year. That is additional in-year funding for schools to spend on capital projects to support their own priorities. An average-sized primary school will receive £10,000, and an average-sized secondary school will receive £50,000.

[Huw Merriman]

It is important that Government Members talk up our record. A fifth secondary school in my constituency has just been rated good—they are now all good or outstanding. That school had a vast injection of money into its capital budget to help make it a good school. We should talk up our record rather than listening to the Opposition.

[Damian Hinds]

My hon. Friend is absolutely correct. I commend and pay tribute to the teachers and leaders in the schools in his constituency, and to him for the work he does with them.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Huw Merriman and Damian Hinds

Monday 19th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Huw Merriman (Bexhill and Battle) (Con)]

Pay rises for teachers in schools in my constituency would be most welcome, but there is a concern that those rises will have to be met from the increase in funding that was delivered to schools in the summer. Are there plans, like there are with the NHS, to find a budget outside the existing school funding formula for those pay rises?

[Damian Hinds]

The teachers’ pay review body is deliberating at the moment. We have already given our evidence, as, of course, have the consultees. I point out that, since the spending review, an additional £1.3 billion has been found for school budgets.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Huw Merriman and Damian Hinds

Monday 27th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Damian Hinds]

I cannot comment on an individual case, but I can say that, in general, we know that less than 3% of people report that they rely on a zero-hours contract. We know that, on average, those people get 25 hours a week and actually have above-average levels of job satisfaction. Zero-hours contracts are certainly not for everybody, but they do work for some people.

[Huw Merriman (Bexhill and Battle) (Con)]

T9. Some 17% of the working-age population suffer from a disability. With labour shortage an issue in my constituency, I have committed to signing up 30 employers to be Disability Confident organisations. Given that I am meeting my chamber of commerce this week, does the Minister have a recruitment message for its members?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Huw Merriman and Damian Hinds

Monday 9th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Damian Hinds]

My hon. Friend is entirely correct about the OBR’s projection at that time, but he will have noticed that that came in the context of considerably larger projected employment growth.

[Huw Merriman (Bexhill and Battle) (Con)]

10. What steps the Government are taking to ensure that people with mental health conditions are supported into work.