Laura Smith
Labour - Former Member for Crewe and Nantwich
First elected: 8th June 2017
Left House: 6th November 2019 (Defeated)
Division Voting information
Laura Smith voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 19 Labour Aye votes vs 217 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 329 Noes - 299
Laura Smith voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 25 Labour No votes vs 185 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 261 Noes - 282
Laura Smith voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 24 Labour No votes vs 203 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 280 Noes - 292
Laura Smith voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 42 Labour No votes vs 143 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 188 Noes - 283
Laura Smith voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 27 Labour No votes vs 198 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 268 Noes - 295
Laura Smith voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 14 Labour No votes vs 232 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 301 Noes - 321
Laura Smith voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 14 Labour No votes vs 226 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 298 Noes - 321
Laura Smith voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 13 Labour No votes vs 224 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 290 Noes - 322
Laura Smith voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Labour No votes vs 14 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 315 Noes - 36
Laura Smith voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 15 Labour Aye votes vs 74 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 327 Noes - 126
All Debates
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Sparring Partners
(14 debate interactions)
(13 debate interactions)
(11 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(34 debate contributions)
(30 debate contributions)
(22 debate contributions)
(20 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(6,100 words contributed)
(6,100 words contributed)
(2,594 words contributed)
(1,060 words contributed)
Latest EDMs signed by Laura Smith
Timetable for the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill
Tabled by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Birkenhead)That this House calls on the Government, if it is granted a flexible extension to Article 50 by the European Union, to work to a 14-day timetable for passing the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill, and to bring to an immediate end the flexible extension as soon as the Bill …
(Most recent: 29 Oct 2019)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 7
Independent: 3
Conservative: 2
Crossbench: 1
Non-affiliated: 1
ASDA contract 6
Tabled by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)That this House notes with concern the decision by ASDA to proceed with proposals to put all hourly paid employees on flexible contracts (Contract 6) despite considerable concern about the proposed changes to employee terms and conditions; further notes that the flexibility clause in Contract 6 will force employees to …
(Most recent: 16 Dec 2019)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 32
Scottish National Party: 9
Democratic Unionist Party: 3
Independent: 2
Conservative: 1
Liberal Democrat: 1
Commons initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Laura Smith, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Laura Smith has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Laura Smith has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Laura Smith has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
2 Bills co-sponsored by Laura Smith
National Health Service Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Eleanor Smith (Lab)
Terminal Illness (Provision of Palliative Care and Support for Carers) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Bambos Charalambous (Lab)
Latest 50 Written Questions
(View all written questions)Prison Officers are members of the Civil Service pension scheme, which is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office has no current plans to review the pension age for prison officers.
The State of the Estate report is published annually and provides information on the efficiency and sustainability of the central civil estate. Further details on use of office space is available in Chapter 3 of this report and can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-report-2016-to-2017
The annual breakdown of receipts raised since 2014 is:
Financial Year | Receipts (£ billion) |
2014/15 | 0.22 |
2015/16 | 1.06 |
2016/17 | 0.6 |
Total | 1.88 |
The 2014/15 receipts number is embedded in the total of the sales for the period 2010-2015. The total number for 2010-2015 is £1.8 billion and this number has been published in the State of the Estate 2014-15 (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/497449/2014-15_State_of_the_Estate_accessible.pdf) and the reference can be found on page 31.
The 2015/16 and the 2016/17 receipts have been published in the Transparency Report: Government’s land and property disposals in 2015-16 and 2016-17 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sales-of-government-assets). The total numbers for 2015/16 and 2016/17 can be found on page 9 of the report. The report lists all individual asset sales from page 10 onwards. The full list of asset sales can also be found on the same link in CSV format.
The 2017/18 asset sales are in the process of being validated and will be published in the next Transparency Report.
Delivery of the Way We Work (now Smart Working) initiative is with individual departments. As a consequence tracking any wellbeing benefits would be at department level and are not collected centrally.
Delivery of the Way We Work (now Smart Working) initiative is with individual departments. As a consequence tracking any wellbeing benefits would be at department level and are not collected centrally.
The annual breakdown of receipts raised since 2015 is:
Year (FY) | Receipts (£ billion) |
2015/16 | 1.06 |
2016/17 | 0.6 |
Total | 1.66 |
The 2017/18 asset sales are in the process of being validated and will be published in the next Transparency Report.
Delivery of the Way We Work (now Smart Working) initiative is with individual departments. As a consequence tracking any wellbeing benefits would be at department level and are not collected centrally.
The operating costs of the central estate, as reported in the State of the Estate report, were £2.57 billion in 2016-17, £2.55 billion in 15-16 and £2.7 billion in 14-15. This shows a reduction of 7.5% in real terms in the preceding three years.
The State of the Estate report is published annually and provides information on the efficiency and sustainability of the central civil estate. Further details on the operating costs of the government estate are set out in chapter 2 and Appendix D of the following:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-report-2016-to-2017
Previous versions of the report can be found using the following web links:
2015-16: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-report-2015-to-2016
2014-15:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-2014-to-2015
The work on the State of the Estate 2017 - 2018 report is ongoing.
Total vacant space for 2016-17 was 1.5% of the total Central Estate as per the State of the Estate report. The government vacancy rate remains 6 percentage points less than the private sector average of 7.5% and in the last four years, has fallen by 40% compared to a fall of 26% in the private sector average, reflecting better use of the estate
The State of the Estate report is published annually and provides information on the efficiency and sustainability of the central civil estate. Further details on vacant space is available in Chapter 2 of this report and can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-report-2016-to-2017
The work on the State of the Estate 2017 - 2018 report is ongoing.
London accounted for c.20% of the Central Estate, as per the State of the Estate report 2016-17. The size of the overall Central Estate has decreased by over 1.3 million m2 in the last four years.
In the long term, the London Estate could see a reduction in civil servants through the gradual relocation of public service into other regions. This will drive further efficiencies in London and also support economic growth in other parts of England, supported by the Government Hubs programme facilitating moves to more modern and efficient buildings.
The State of the Estate report is published annually and provides information on the efficiency and sustainability of the central civil estate. Further details on the location of the government estate are set out in chapter 2 of the following:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-report-2016-to-2017
e-PIMS is a comprehensive electronic register of all central government property holdings, including information about requirements for new accommodation, and vacant and surplus properties. Bodies are responsible for entering complete and accurate information about all the properties they use and control on e-PIMS, and complete an annual verification process to confirm they have done this. Regular data quality assurance and sample checks are also carried out by the Office of Government Property.
Providing property information is mandatory for all:
- government departments
- non-ministerial departments and their executive agencies
- arms length bodies
- non-departmental public bodies
- special health authorities
Mandatory recording of information on e-PIMS does not apply to local authorities, the NHS (except for Special Health Authorities), public corporations, privatised railway undertakings, the Crown Estate; the Overseas estate or the Defence Estate (subject to some exceptions).
There are some other exclusions from e-PIMS, such as information about certain highly specialist properties (e.g. flood defences, pipelines, wayleaves and easements).
The 2014 Government Estate Strategy (which can be found here; https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/360262/Government_estate_strategy.pdf) represented a leap in the scale of our ambition - with commitments that recognised the potential of our estate to become a platform to deliver better integrated public services and economic growth across the UK. As an example, the One Public Estate (OPE) programme, which brings together all public sector bodies within a locality to develop a radical new approach to managing their land and property. OPE has grown from a pilot working with 32 councils in 2014 to a national programme supporting 319 councils - over 90% of councils in England - to deliver better integrated, customer-focused services, local growth and efficiencies.
To date, these partnerships have secured £94m in capital receipts, £20m savings in running costs, over 5,700 jobs and releasing land for 2,800 homes. We have also facilitated over 80 public sector co-locations, responding to local demands to bring services together under one roof.
Recognising the need to boost local economies further, the Government also remains committed to relocating public bodies and Civil Service roles out of London across the United Kingdom. As such, the Cabinet Office has established the Places for Growth programme. This aims to drive the delivery of our commitment to move arm’s length bodies and some departmental activities outside of London and the South East to help promote growth in the regions and nations of the UK.
The 2018 Government Estate Strategy, due for publication later this year, will continue to ensure our policies drive growth and opportunity across the UK and provide a Government Estate that works for everyone.
The Civil Service does not have centrally held data on internal disciplinary processes.
8 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Questions
(View all Laura Smith's BEIS questions)Climate change has long been of concern to the Commonwealth and the majority of member states continue to advocate for ambitious action on climate change today. Small and vulnerable states – which account for almost 60% of the Commonwealth – face an existential threat from climate change and associated natural disasters.
This concern has been reflected in Commonwealth statements as early as the Langkawi Declaration on the Environment in 1989. Under UK chairmanship at the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, leaders reaffirmed their commitments under the Paris Agreement. We would expect the Commonwealth to play a major role in ensuring that a UK-hosted COP26 would be a success.
The Government is now using its diplomatic network to support mitigation and adaptation across the Commonwealth. For example:
- In Asia, Malaysia has confirmed its interest in partnering with the UK to develop an emissions calculator. The calculator is an open source energy and emissions tool developed by the UK to allow countries to explore and develop strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- In Africa, the UK has provided £500,000 to support the Commonwealth’s Climate Finance Access Hub based in Mauritius. The Hub will help small and vulnerable countries access international sources of finance to support adaptation and mitigation.
- In the Caribbean, the UK is helping four countries – Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, and St Lucia – to prepare detailed disaster risk profiles to aid efforts to increase their resilience to natural disaster. This work builds on existing support from the World Bank and is expected to be extended across the region over the next year.
- In the Pacific, the UK has pledged £1.2 million to support the establishment in Fiji of a Regional Nationally Determined Contribution Hub. The centre has been established in partnership with Australia, Germany and New Zealand, to help Pacific Island Countries implement national climate change policies and frameworks in response to the 2015 Paris Agreement.
While my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State did not meet with President Trump during the US state visit, the Secretary of State has stressed in discussions with US counterparts that the UK would prefer the US to remain in the Paris Agreement. During the visit, the Prime Minister raised the issue of climate change with President Trump directly and underlined the UK’s support for the Paris Agreement.
The Department is committed to transparency in publicly funded research, including medical research. This is primarily delivered through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), as a BEIS partner organisation.
UKRI and its Councils have a long-term commitment to make the research process and findings as open, understandable and reproducible as possible, whilst respecting ethical considerations and necessary exceptions. All UKRI research awards are published on Gateway to Research, along with information on outputs and research papers, and papers relating to medical research are accessible to all via the open access repository EuropePMC. UKRI is also currently progressing the commitment to transparent research in all disciplines through the UKRI Open Access Review, which aims to increase access to publicly funded research.
Within UKRI, the Medical Research Council (MRC) uses additional funding conditions for clinical trials and intervention studies which require the registration of all clinical trials and that all results (positive and negative) are publicly available in a timely way, usually within 12 months.
Looking wider, UKRI is also working with Universities UK and other stakeholders to revise and strengthen the Concordat to Support Research Integrity, including attention to transparency and open communication of research methods, analysis, and the sharing of negative or null results.
The transparency of research funded by other government departments, and their bodies, is not covered in this response.
(i) Carers
The Government is committed to supporting carers to provide care as they would wish, and to do so in a way that takes account of their own health and wellbeing, access to education, employment and life chances.
Our Call for Evidence on carers in 2016 highlighted the practical challenges of balancing work and caring responsibilities. In June 2018 we published an action plan setting out a cross-government programme of targeted work to support carers over the next two years. That includes action to support employers to improve working practices and flexible working and to help carers to stay in work and return to work, as well as improving advice on financial support.
(ii) Parents
The Government has taken numerous actions to help people balance work and family. We have introduced 30 hours of free childcare for working parents of 3- and 4-year olds and we are giving working parents more help with the costs of childcare. Under the Coalition Government we also extended the right to request flexible working to all employees and introduced shared parental leave and pay: evaluation of both changes is ongoing.
At Spring Budget 2017, the Government committed £5m to supporting parents and careers back into work following a career break for caring. The Government has commissioned research to identify the barriers to both carers and parents in returning to work following a break for caring. We are seeking to tackle those through encouraging employers to set up supportive, flexible returner opportunities.
We will issue a Consumer Green Paper in due course that will tackle areas where markets are not working for consumers.
The Government is currently exploring how best to encourage businesses to apply terms and conditions which are jargon free and can be more easily engaged with by consumers. This includes the use of model terms and conditions.
The Gambling Commission, as the regulator for gambling in Great Britain, has strong powers and can take action where it needs to address emerging risks. We meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and the games industry to discuss a range of issues including concerns around the potential for convergence between gambling and video games.
Loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the Government is aware of concerns that loot boxes and other entertainment products, such as some video games, could encourage gambling-like behaviour or participation in gambling and in the longer term lead to gambling related harm. Our assessment to date is that, while participation rates in gambling are stable, we will continue to look closely at any new evidence around these issues, and in particular where there is evidence of harm.
In addition, the Gambling Commission, along with 15 other regulators from Europe and the USA, have agreed to work together to monitor the characteristics of video games and social gaming and where there is potential cross-over into gambling. They will also work to raise parental and consumer awareness.
Shadow Minister (Women)
The Online Harms White Paper will be published shortly and will set out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures to tackle a range of online harms. DCMS continues to work closely with the games industry and organisations including the Gambling Commission, to improve safety in games and promote healthy and responsible video gaming.
The Gambling Commission, as the regulator for gambling in Great Britain, has strong powers and can take action where it needs to address emerging risks. We meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and the games industry to discuss a range of issues including concerns around the potential for convergence between gambling and video games.
Loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the Government is aware of concerns that loot boxes and other entertainment products, such as some video games, could encourage gambling-like behaviour or participation in gambling and in the longer term lead to gambling related harm. Our assessment to date is that, while participation rates in gambling are stable, we will continue to look closely at any new evidence around these issues, and in particular where there is evidence of harm.
In addition, the Gambling Commission, along with 15 other regulators from Europe and the USA, have agreed to work together to monitor the characteristics of video games and social gaming and where there is potential cross-over into gambling. They will also work to raise parental and consumer awareness.
Shadow Minister (Women)
The Gambling Commission, as the regulator for gambling in Great Britain, has strong powers and can take action where it needs to address emerging risks. We meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and the games industry to discuss a range of issues including concerns around the potential for convergence between gambling and video games.
Loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the Government is aware of concerns that loot boxes and other entertainment products, such as some video games, could encourage gambling-like behaviour or participation in gambling and in the longer term lead to gambling related harm. Our assessment to date is that, while participation rates in gambling are stable, we will continue to look closely at any new evidence around these issues, and in particular where there is evidence of harm.
In addition, the Gambling Commission, along with 15 other regulators from Europe and the USA, have agreed to work together to monitor the characteristics of video games and social gaming and where there is potential cross-over into gambling. They will also work to raise parental and consumer awareness.
Shadow Minister (Women)
The Online Harms White Paper will be published shortly and will set out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures to tackle a range of online harms. DCMS continues to work closely with the games industry and organisations including the Gambling Commission, to improve safety in games and promote healthy and responsible video gaming.
The Gambling Commission, as the regulator for gambling in Great Britain, has strong powers and can take action where it needs to address emerging risks. We meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and the games industry to discuss a range of issues including concerns around the potential for convergence between gambling and video games.
Loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the Government is aware of concerns that loot boxes and other entertainment products, such as some video games, could encourage gambling-like behaviour or participation in gambling and in the longer term lead to gambling related harm. Our assessment to date is that, while participation rates in gambling are stable, we will continue to look closely at any new evidence around these issues, and in particular where there is evidence of harm.
In addition, the Gambling Commission, along with 15 other regulators from Europe and the USA, have agreed to work together to monitor the characteristics of video games and social gaming and where there is potential cross-over into gambling. They will also work to raise parental and consumer awareness.
Shadow Minister (Women)
The Government does not determine whether sports should introduce a national governing body, this is for the sport to decide.
The process for National Governing Body recognition is a joint policy operated by the four home country sports councils (Sport England, Sport Northern Ireland, Sport Scotland, Sport Wales) and UK Sport. The aim of the recognition process is to identify a single lead NGB structure which governs a sport at UK, GB or home country level.
The Government does not determine whether sports should introduce a national governing body, this is for the sport to decide.
The process for National Governing Body recognition is a joint policy operated by the four home country sports councils (Sport England, Sport Northern Ireland, Sport Scotland, Sport Wales) and UK Sport. The aim of the recognition process is to identify a single lead NGB structure which governs a sport at UK, GB or home country level.
The safety of everyone taking part in sport and physical activity is vital. There will always be risks associated with participating in contact sport, but it is important that robust measures are in place to reduce the risk of major injuries and health issues.
It is not the role of government to regulate sport. Amateur and professional boxing is self-regulated by England Boxing and the British Boxing Board of Control respectively. It is the responsibility of individual white collar boxing event organisers to ensure that they protect the safety and wellbeing of their participants.
The Football Association has received £41.9m of National Lottery and Exchequer funding from Sport England over the past five years for the grassroots programmes it delivers. That total broken down equates to £10,287,050m in 2013/14; £9,175,259m in 2014/15, £9,345,964m in 2015/16, £10,033,667m in 2016/17 and £3,081,184m currently in this financial year. Within that total, the FA Skills programmes received £1.5million in each of the five years, and £2million was ring-fenced over the last three years to the FA's coaching programme that seeks to improve diversity in that workforce.
In addition to this funding, the DCMS via Sport England has invested through the Football Foundation charity a further £10million per year over the last five years to the FA and Premier League Facilities Fund and committed a further £8million for the last three years into the FA led Parklife football hubs programme.
The Football Association has received £41.9m of National Lottery and Exchequer funding from Sport England over the past five years for the grassroots programmes it delivers. That total broken down equates to £10,287,050m in 2013/14; £9,175,259m in 2014/15, £9,345,964m in 2015/16, £10,033,667m in 2016/17 and £3,081,184m currently in this financial year. Within that total, the FA Skills programmes received £1.5million in each of the five years, and £2million was ring-fenced over the last three years to the FA's coaching programme that seeks to improve diversity in that workforce.
In addition to this funding, the DCMS via Sport England has invested through the Football Foundation charity a further £10million per year over the last five years to the FA and Premier League Facilities Fund and committed a further £8million for the last three years into the FA led Parklife football hubs programme.
We are determined to crackdown on unacceptable behaviour in the online ticketing market and improve fans’ chances of buying tickets at a reasonable price.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 already includes rules about tickets offered for sale on the secondary market, but the Digital Economy Act passed last year adds an additional requirement for ticket sellers to provide a unique ticket number when re-selling a ticket resale, and provides the power to create a specific offence, where tickets are purchased electronically, of purchasing more tickets than the maximum permitted. We intend to enact this power via secondary legislation later this year.
We welcome the work of the Competition and Markets Authority and Trading Standards in taking enforcement action against those who are suspected to be in breach of consumer law.
We are determined to crackdown on unacceptable behaviour in the online ticketing market and improve fans’ chances of buying tickets at a reasonable price.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 already includes rules about tickets offered for sale on the secondary market, but the Digital Economy Act passed last year adds an additional requirement for ticket sellers to provide a unique ticket number when re-selling a ticket resale, and provides the power to create a specific offence, where tickets are purchased electronically, of purchasing more tickets than the maximum permitted. We intend to enact this power via secondary legislation later this year.
We welcome the work of the Competition and Markets Authority and Trading Standards in taking enforcement action against those who are suspected to be in breach of consumer law.
There is a statutory process for revising the pay and conditions of teachers and any change must first be referred by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, to the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB). The demands on the STRB’s time and resources mean that the Government has to make hard decisions on prioritising the issues it refers. The Government is committed to making the teaching profession an attractive and competitive career but is not currently considering proposing an extension to the current salary sacrifice schemes for teachers to cover cars.
Since its introduction in May 2014, the Department for Education has provided over £90 million in funding to local authorities to implement Staying Put; and has committed to provide a further £23.77 million in 2019/20. Decisions on funding beyond March 2020 will be subject to the outcome of the next Spending Review.
The government does not believe that introducing a national minimum allowance is the right way forward. Unlike children in foster care, young people in Staying Put arrangements are adults, and may be in work, or claiming benefits. These financial sources can be used to contribute to the cost of providing the Staying Put arrangement, in a similar way that young people who are still living at home with their parents may contribute to the costs of running the household.
In 2014, the government introduced ‘Staying put: arrangements for care leavers aged 18 years and above’ which allows care leavers to continue living with their former foster carer when they reach age 18: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-put-arrangements-for-care-leavers-aged-18-years-and-above. This means young people can continue to benefit from a stable and secure family setting, preparing for independence at a more gradual pace and moving into independent living when they are ready, rather than facing a cliff-edge on reaching age 18.
To support local authorities to implement Staying Put we have provided £68.35 million to date. Funding for 2019/20 will be £23.77 million, and funding beyond 2020 will be subject to future spending reviews.
The latest data show that for the year ending March 2018, 55% of those ceasing to be looked after in a foster placement on their 18th birthday stayed put with their former foster carer, which is an increase of 4% on the previous year. Furthermore, 31% of 19 year-olds were still with former foster carers on their 19th birthday, and 26% of 20 year-olds still with former foster carers on their 20th birthday. Again, these were both increases on the previous year.
Racism has no place in our schools and any incident is unacceptable. All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines measures to prevent all forms of bullying.
The Department issues guidance to schools on how to prevent and tackle bullying. This was last updated in July 2017 and outlines the Government’s approach to bullying, the legal obligations and powers schools have, and the principles which underpin the most effective anti-bullying strategies in schools. It provides information on sources of support, including tackling bullying based on race, religion and nationality. This guidance can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.
The Department has published a research report which details common strategies that schools have found to be effective in combating bullying, along with more detailed case studies showing practical measures taken by schools. The report is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/approaches-to-preventing-and-tackling-bullying.
In January 2016, the Department launched the website www.educateagainsthate.com, jointly with the Home Office, to provide schools with practical advice on protecting children from extremism and radicalisation. The website highlights the main routes to report a hate crime and includes our guidance to schools on promoting the shared values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.
The Department’s guidance is directed towards schools rather than on local authorities, therefore guidance is only issued for schools.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has not specifically discussed the proposed EU Ecodesign Directive with my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Officials from the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy have discussed the issue with the EU as part of its consultation process and have subsequently made representations to the European Commission (EC). Industry representatives have also engaged with the EC and submitted a proposed exemption for their consideration. Since then, the EC has shared the most recent draft of the regulation which includes a technical exemption for stage lighting.
A final decision on the draft regulation is likely to be made towards the end of this year and is not expected to come into force until September 2020. The Government will continue to engage with industry, other Member States and the EC in the meantime. The Department will keep this under review to assess whether there will be any impact on schools in England and if any advice or further action is required.
Schools, and those responsible for maintaining school buildings, receive annual capital funding to invest in their buildings, including complying with relevant legislation. The Department already specifies energy efficient LED lighting for theatre lighting installations in new school buildings that are funded through its central capital programmes.
It is for schools and local authorities (for children in alternative provision or with education, health and care plans) to decide what support will best meet the needs of pupils, taking account of their individual needs.
We have provided an additional £140 million in high needs funding in 2018-19 and will provide an additional £120 million in 2019-20. Previously underfunded local authorities will see increases in 2019-20 of up to 6% compared to what they planned to spend in 2017-18.
In Cheshire East, the local authority will receive £34.1 million in high needs funding in 2018-19, 2% more than in 2017-18. Figures for each local authority can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019.
We are also monitoring the impact of our national funding formula for high needs on local authority spending decisions, and are keeping the overall amount of funding for high needs under review.
The Department takes the issue of asbestos in schools seriously and is committed to supporting schools, local authorities and academy trusts to fulfil their duty to manage asbestos safely.
It is the responsibility of the duty holder to ensure that any asbestos in their schools is safely managed in compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. For maintained schools, the duty holder is typically a governing body or local authority. For academies, the duty holder is typically an academy trust. Duty holders are already required to have an asbestos management plan in place where asbestos is present or is likely to be present. Management plans must be reviewed and revised at regular intervals, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the relevant regulator.
The Department launched the Asbestos Management Assurance Process on 1 March 2018. This process will enable Responsible Bodies to provide an assurance declaration that their schools are complying with the regulations. The process was developed to help the Department to improve its understanding of asbestos management in schools. Through working with the HSE, the Department can help local authorities, governing bodies and academy trusts to manage asbestos-related issues effectively.
The review of the national curriculum was launched on 20 January 2011, and the new national curriculum was introduced in September 2014. It provides a broad and balanced education ensuring all pupils gain core knowledge across a range of subjects so that they get the best start in life. The curriculum combines the best elements of the world’s most successful school systems, with some of the most impressive practice from schools in England. The review was open and transparent and we consulted widely, including with pupils and students. We have no plans for a further review.
As part of Ofsted school inspections, inspectors seek the views of pupils on their experiences at school, including in relation to the curriculum, and have regard to those views in evaluating the school’s performance.
From 1 September 2012, all candidates who fail two re-sits (three test attempts in total) in either literacy or numeracy for the professional skills tests are not allowed further re-sits for two years. If a trainee teacher does not pass both tests within the allowed three attempts, it indicates that he or she is not yet ready in these areas.
The two-year waiting period is considered a reasonable time during which such candidates can work to become proficient at the skills assessed in the tests before further attempts. Practice tests are available on the Standards and Testing Agency website to help candidates prepare before taking the tests.
Data on the pass rate for the skills tests is available on the Standards and Testing Agency website. In 2015-16 89.6% of candidates, taking both tests passed within three attempts: http://sta.education.gov.uk/professional-skills-tests/skills-tests-statistics.
Pensions for widows were introduced in 1972 to most public sector pension schemes, including the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS). Surviving partner pensions were extended in 1988 to cover widowers, in 2005 for civil partners and in 2014 for same sex marriage spouses. The Government has made it clear that it believes that it is right that married same sex couples and civil partners should be treated equally to married opposite sex couples. That is why TPS legislation ensures that survivor benefits, accrued since 1988, are built up equally for all legal relationships.
The Supreme Court Case of Walker v Innospec, has confirmed that the surviving partner of a pension scheme member must not be treated differently based on their sexual orientation. HM Treasury is responsible for policy in this area and will soon provide instructions to departments on the implication of the Walker case. When the full extent of this ruling is understood, we will take all steps necessary to ensure the TPS complies.
Teaching remains a popular profession. There are now more teachers in our schools than ever before – 15,500 more since 2010. Secondary postgraduate recruitment is at its highest level since 2011.
Teacher retention remains stable and the number of teachers returning to the profession is up 8% since 2011.
However, we continue to invest significant sums in teacher recruitment and are actively addressing the issues that teachers cite as reasons for leaving the profession.