Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Bill

Lord Faulkner of Worcester Excerpts

Friday 16th April 2021 Lords Chamber

We are agreed on the importance of the Bill. I thank everyone who has contributed, including the Minister, whom I also thank for having met with me a couple of times to discuss this. I hope that we have all correctly interpreted the noble Lord, Lord Blencathra, in that I believe that he is not going to press this to a vote, and I thank him for that. I hope that he will confirm that now.

[The Deputy Chairman of Committees (Lord Faulkner of Worcester) (Lab)]

My Lords, I have received a request to speak after the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, from the noble Lord, Lord Watson of Invergowrie.

[Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Lab)]

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for doing as she typically does by responding in considered and detailed form to many of my questions and those of other noble Lords. I wonder whether she would elaborate on one point on school clothing grants; I mentioned that the guidance refers to it. Although she said the Government’s emphasis was on keeping down the price of uniforms themselves—I welcome that, of course—short of nationalising the Schoolwear Association and making it the single supplier for the whole country, I am not quite sure how the Government could achieve such an aim.

I am concerned that cash-strapped local authorities—and multi-academy trusts, which are also not exactly well off—will struggle to cope with the many responses from parents to schools in the wake of the Bill’s enactment, and with the highlighting of the availability of the grants. Will the Minister again consider providing additional resources to make sure that local authorities and MATs can meet the demands that come their way after the Bill is enacted? I am happy for her to write to me about this.