Oral Answers to Questions

Ian Roome Excerpts

Monday 2nd March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Georgia Gould]

Accountability is a key part of our reforms, which is why Ofsted is now focused on inclusion. We have also brought in Ofsted inspections for multi-academy trusts. I very much enjoyed meeting one of my hon. Friend’s local academies, which is doing brilliant work, but I recognise that we need to put in the right resource and accountability to ensure that that is happening everywhere. I am always delighted to see best practice.

[Ian Roome (North Devon) (LD)]

I thank the Minister for the Government’s decision to effectively write off about 90% of Devon county council’s SEND debts. I know that will reassure many parents in my constituency.

Will the Minister tell us how the new school curriculum will give schools the flexibility they need to support children with special educational needs across very different parts of the country, including rural areas such as North Devon?

[Georgia Gould]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that we need to ensure that children with SEND have the right support everywhere in the country. That means that we need to ensure that we have the right experts wrapped around schools and that the curriculum meets children’s needs. The Government’s curriculum and assessment review sets out our modern curriculum, including a breadth of learning and enrichment for young people, but we know that it is important to have the right adaptations and flexibilities, and we will be moving forward with that as part of our SEND reforms.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ian Roome Excerpts

Monday 1st December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Josh MacAlister]

I appreciate my hon. Friend championing the work of local businesses such as Rowden’s, and other defence industries across the UK, and I will gladly ask my noble friend the Minister for Skills, who I am sure would welcome the opportunity to meet him in the coming weeks.

[Ian Roome (North Devon) (LD)]

2. What steps she is taking to improve education on sexual consent and relationships.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Olivia Bailey)]

The Government’s new relationships, sex and health education guidance will help to ensure that young people learn about healthy, respectful relationships, and understand that consent is essential. That supports our unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.

[Ian Roome]

Many parents are concerned about how schools address the sensitive issues of consent and sexual violence. What action is the Department taking to ensure that those subjects are being taught in schools by appropriately trained professionals, to safeguard both pupils and teachers?

[Olivia Bailey]

That is exactly what our new RSHE guidance aims to do, to give schools the support they need to ensure that our young people are taught about healthy relationships, and to learn about critical concepts such as consent.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I think I have heard enough; I do not need a running commentary on whether somebody might or might not be a turkey. Okay, let us move on.

[Ian Roome (North Devon) (LD)]

T4. Forces families sometimes find that a child’s education, health and care plan is not automatically recognised when they are reposted to a new area, leaving children without provision. With the children’s services White Paper due next year, will the Minister ensure that military children specifically are included and raise the issue of adopting the Ministry of Defence local authority partnership system with local authorities that currently do not use it?

[Georgia Gould]

I will look into the points that the hon. Gentleman has raised. It would be very helpful if he could write to me on those issues.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ian Roome Excerpts

Monday 20th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Georgia Gould]

I have seen amazing examples of how this kind of provision can bring children back into mainstream classrooms and cause them to start to enjoy school and achieve again. I would be very happy to meet my hon. Friend and visit the school that has been set up.

[Ian Roome (North Devon) (LD)]

I have visited many schools in North Devon, and many are facing the dilemma of whether to fund essential maintenance or to lay off teaching assistants. What is the Minister doing to ensure that adequate funding reaches rural schools so that they do not have to cut teaching staff in order to balance the books?

[Josh MacAlister]

I am happy to correspond with the hon. Member about the situation facing that school. In relation to school buildings, a number of schemes are available to provide support.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ian Roome Excerpts

Monday 27th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Laura Kyrke-Smith (Aylesbury) (Lab)]

14. What steps she is taking to increase the number of apprenticeships.

[Ian Roome (North Devon) (LD)]

20. What plans she has for the future of apprenticeships.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Janet Daby)]

The Government have a mission to break down barriers to opportunity, and we want to rebalance opportunities in favour of young people who have the most to gain from apprenticeships. Where starts have fallen by almost 40%, we are introducing foundation apprenticeships to give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working life.

[Janet Daby]

My hon. Friend is a real champion for students at Buckinghamshire colleges, and indeed for young people across Aylesbury. I know the area she represents very well. After the Conservatives left us with a collapsing apprenticeship system and other skills shortages, Labour is listening to employers and redrawing the system through Skills England, a new growth and skills levy and new foundation apprenticeships. That is how we will unlock opportunity and drive growth.

[Ian Roome]

Back in the autumn, the new Government announced plans to reduce the financial support available for level 7 apprenticeships. Does the Secretary of State understand that curtailing higher-level apprenticeships will make it harder to access graduate-level skills and qualifications in rural areas such as North Devon, where there are no universities nearby?

[Janet Daby]

The Government have an extremely challenging fiscal inheritance and tough choices need to be taken on how funding should be prioritised to generate opportunities for all. Employers will still be able to offer and invest in level 7 apprenticeships where they feel they provide a good return on investment. We have taken advice from Skills England, which engages with employers on funding for level 7 apprenticeships, over the autumn. The Department expects to make a final decision on affected apprenticeships shortly.

Primary School Breakfast Clubs

Ian Roome Excerpts

Monday 18th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dhesi]

Given his experience from his mayoral role, my hon. Friend will be fully cognisant of some of the issues faced by our rural communities. Yes, it is flabbergasting to see not a single member of His Majesty’s Opposition on those Benches, because they should highlight these issues.

[Ian Roome (North Devon) (LD)]

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this debate and taking so many good interventions. My constituency is very rural, and schools are already suffering with funding. Does he agree that schools must be given sufficient funding to provide this service, because their budgets are very stretched? We must ensure that this scheme is properly funded—and that rural areas get the funding that is needed, and that it is not all about big urban areas.

[Mr Dhesi]

The hon. Gentleman served as a council leader, and has made an excellent point about funding. How will this provision be effectively funded, to help our schools, and how will we ensure that councils can provide that extra support as and where required? I am sure the Minister will have heard the point that he eloquently made.

Free breakfast clubs do not just alleviate the strain on lower-income families; they also level the playing field for men and women in work. That is just part of this Government’s mission to smash the glass ceiling, as well as the class ceiling. With 381,000 pupils currently using breakfast clubs every day, it is essential to ensure that those who want to access them can do so. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that families are made aware of this important service, as universal breakfast clubs are gradually rolled out?

Universal breakfast clubs will ensure that when our children turn up to school, they are learning and developing, fuelled by healthy, nutritious food. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.