Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase funding for skills-based education in Nuneaton constituency.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to offering skills training to learners to help them acquire the necessary skills for employment or further training. The Adult Skills Fund (ASF), previously the Adult Education Budget (AEB), is worth £1.34 billion this academic year and fully funds or co-funds education and skills training for eligible adults aged 19 and over.
In 2024/25, as part of the AEB transition to the ASF, the department introduced five new funding rates, which has seen 78% of qualifications funded through the Education and Skills Funding Agency.
The department is investing in level 3 learning via the ‘free courses for jobs’ offer, which allows eligible learners to access a high value level 3 qualification for free. An additional funding uplift is paid by the department, at two different rates, for providers that offer a wide range of sector subjects.
The total ASF allocation for a provider in the Nuneaton constituency for the 2024/25 academic year is approximately £4.6 million. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2024-to-2025.
Over £7.5 billion in 16 to 19 programme funding will be invested during the 2024/25 academic year as part of the department’s drive for all young people to access high quality education and training that meets their needs and helps them to thrive. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at Budget a further boost of £300 million in the 2025/26 financial year for further education (FE) to ensure young people are developing the skills they need to succeed and a further £300 million to support colleges to maintain, improve and ensure suitability of their estate.
Information on 16 to 19 funding allocations received by institutions in Nuneaton is available in the published allocations, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/funding-education-for-16-to-19-year-olds#published-allocations.
For the 2023/24 academic year, 16 to 19 funded institutions in the Nuneaton constituency were allocated £31.23 million in 16 to 19 funding. This includes high needs student funding, student support funding and funding for the FE teachers pension scheme employer contribution grant. For the 2024/25 academic year, they received £33.96 million. This is an increase of £2.73 million, or 8.7%.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to increase the funding for the Child Maintenance Service to ensure prompt responses to correspondence from (a) residents of Nuneaton constituency and (b) other correspondents.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) continues to make significant investments in improving customer communications and correspondence through digital transformation and the Service Modernisation Programme.
A proportion of the overall funding for the programme is and will continue to be used to improve the service, including response times to correspondence.
One aim of the Programme is to improve CMS response times by increasing the capability of our self-service platforms, simplifying guidance and internal systems for our colleagues, and by freeing up caseworker time.
We strive to ensure staff are equipped with the tools needed to respond quickly and comprehensively to customer correspondence, however response times can vary depending on the complexity of individual cases. We will continue to invest in improving our contact channels for customers to offer a more flexible and responsive service to all customers.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.30 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, when she plans to publish a consultation on the proposed Infrastructure Strategy.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Investment in Infrastructure is crucial for delivering the government’s missions, which is why the government is fundamentally reforming how it delivers infrastructure through a 10-year infrastructure strategy, establishing the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), and delivering ambitious planning reform.
The 10-year infrastructure strategy will be published next spring, alongside the 2025 Spending Review. Government is developing the strategy working closely with the National Infrastructure Commission and Infrastructure and Projects Authority. The government will engage extensively with businesses, industry bodies and other stakeholders.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 3.19 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, when she plans to publish further information on her plan to increase capacity on the West Coast main line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The delivery of High Speed Two (HS2) is expected to nearly double seat capacity between London and Birmingham, which is the most congested section of the West Coast Main Line. We are taking into consideration the recent proposal from the Mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands for enhancing rail connectivity between the Midlands and the North West, and will set out a clear plan to address capacity and connectivity issues in due course.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of recognising businesses with proactive equality practices.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This government recognises that equality and opportunity are at the heart of our programme of national renewal, this includes in our workplaces. The best employers understand that an inclusive workplace, where employees are supported to succeed, is good for productivity and good for the business.
Under the landmark Employment Rights Bill we are taking steps to ensure that all workplaces follow the fantastic example set by some of our leading businesses. This includes requiring large employers to publish plans setting out how they are tackling the gender pay gap and supporting employees during the menopause. Through this process we expect to be able to highlight those employers exhibiting best practice, and ensure that they can share their experiences for other businesses to learn from.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that companies (a) record and (b) publish ethnicity pay gap data.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The King’s Speech announced our intention to publish draft legislation this session that will introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for large employers (those with 250 or more employees).
Pay gap reporting can help businesses better understand their workforce, which can lead to them adopting policies and changes which support improved productivity and improved rates of progression and retention, ensuring they make the most of the skills of their employees.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase the supply of social housing in Nuneaton constituency.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to Question 10272 on 28 October 2024.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of (a) ensuring that academy schools publish full SEND information reports and (b) sanctioning schools that do not.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Maintained and Academy schools are required to publish special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) information reports according to the Children and Families Act 2014, s69. The specific information required is set out in the SEND regulations 2014 and the SEND code of practice, which can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/6/part/3 and here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25.
The department welcomes the publication of the response to the Big Listen, which stated that Ofsted will consult on introducing a new inspection judgement area for inclusion across education settings. The department will continue to work with Ofsted to consider how outcomes for children and young people with SEND, or in alternative provision, are better reflected in the Education Inspection and the Area SEND inspection frameworks.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reforming the Insolvency Service to ensure (a) greater transparency, (b) faster investigations and (c) greater accountability for insolvency practitioners.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The work of the Insolvency Service is kept under continual review by the Department and Ministers.
The Insolvency Service, on behalf of the Secretary of State, performs a crucial function in overseeing the Recognised Professional Bodies’ regulation of Insolvency Practitioners. The regulation of Insolvency Practitioners was subject to a public consultation in 2021, and the Government is considering the introduction of reforms in this area.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing local authorities to (a) buy unoccupied housing in longstanding disrepair at a reduced rate and (b) raise council tax on long-term unoccupied housing to ensure properties are kept in the market in a suitable condition.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities have strong powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. They have the discretionary powers to charge additional council tax on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. The maximum premium that a council can apply increases, depending on the length of time that the property has been empty for, with a premium of up to 300% on homes left empty for over ten years.
Local authorities can also use powers to take over the management of long-term empty homes to bring them back into use in the private rented sector. Since April 2024, local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal. More information can be found here.