Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of RAAC-related school closures at the beginning of the Autumn term in 2023 on pupils taking GCSE and A-level examinations this summer.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
With thanks to the hard work of school and college leaders, all schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC are providing full time face-to-face education for all pupils. The department is supporting schools and colleges to keep any disruption to education to an absolute minimum.
Every school or college with confirmed RAAC has been assigned dedicated support from the department’s team of caseworkers. Each case is unique, and schools and colleges are being supported to put in place a bespoke plan based on their circumstances. In a matter of months, the department has completed its RAAC identification programme and announced funding to remove RAAC from schools and colleges for good.
Schools and colleges concerned about the potential impact of RAAC-related school closures on pupils due to take GCSE and A level exams in the summer should speak to the relevant awarding organisation. Only the relevant awarding organisation will be able to confirm what can be done in any specific context and the specific options available. Awarding organisations could, for example, offer a longer extension for coursework and non-exam assessment, so that schools and colleges have as much time as possible to complete this important part of pupils' learning and qualifications.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of students came from a sixth form or college within 15 miles of their university in the period between 2015 and 2023.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The information is not readily available or held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers there were in Warwick and Leamington constituency in (a) 2019 and (b) 2024.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers in each school is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
As of November 2022, which is the latest data available, there were over 468,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes the highest number of FTE teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.
As of November 2019, there were 609.9 FTE teachers in state-funded schools in Warwick and Leamington constituency.
School workforce figures for 2024 have not been collected yet. In November 2022 there were 651.2 FTE teachers in state-funded schools in Warwick and Leamington constituency. Figures for November 2023 will be published in June 2024.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of funding for subject knowledge enhancement programmes for (a) primary maths, (b) design and technology, (c) English, (d) biology and (e) religious education on the future recruitment of student teachers in those subjects.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department reviews all policies, including subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses, on a regular basis to adapt its approach to attracting new teachers where needed and to ensure that interventions are focused where they will have the most positive impact for children and young people.
When reviewing the SKE package for the remainder of the 2023/24 academic year, factors including teacher supply needs, the volume of SKE participants associated with each subject and the relative recruitment to Initial Teacher Training (ITT) were all taken into account to ensure that the department is targeting funding where it is needed most.
The department remains committed to recruiting the teachers it needs. The ITT financial incentives package for the 2024/25 recruitment cycle is worth up to £196 million, which is a £15 million increase on the last cycle. Tax free ITT bursaries continue to be available in design and technology, English, biology and religious education for ITT 2024. The department will continue to review the SKE programme on a regular basis to ensure that its funding is targeted as effectively as possible.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of potholes on drivers in Warwickshire.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State is keen to support motorists in Warwickshire, and elsewhere, by mitigating the impact of potholes. Under the 1980 Highways Act, local highway authorities, such as Warwickshire County Council, are responsible for maintaining and managing the local highway network within their area.
For the 2024/25 financial year, the Government is providing Warwickshire County Council with over £18.2 million for highway maintenance. This includes £2.056 million of reallocated HS2 funding and is a 12.7% increase over the funding the Council was expecting in 2024/25 before the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement.
It is up to the respective highway authority how best to spend this funding to fulfil their statutory duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. Funding is not ring fenced and Warwickshire can spend the money on all aspects of highway maintenance such as bridges, cycleways, and lighting columns – and not just the fixing of potholes.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the number of pothole-related damages to vehicles in Warwickshire in each year since 2010.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under the 1980 Highways Act, local highway authorities, such as Warwickshire County Council, are responsible for maintaining and managing the local highway network within their area.
For the 2024/25 financial year, the Government is providing Warwickshire County Council with over £18.2 million for highway maintenance. This includes £2.056 million of reallocated HS2 funding and is a 12.7% increase over the funding the Council was expecting in 2024/25 before the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement.
It is up to the respective highway authority how best to spend this funding to fulfil their statutory duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. Funding is not ring fenced and Warwickshire can spend the money on all aspects of highway maintenance such as bridges, cycleways, and lighting columns – and not just the fixing of potholes.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the impact of air quality on the health of residents in Warwick and Leamington constituency.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution indicator, measured as PM2.5, represents the percentage of annual deaths from all causes in those aged 30 years old and older, attributed to PM2.5. In 2022, the latest year from which published data is available, the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution was 5.5% for Warwickshire, and 5.5% for Warwick.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) produces the estimates of the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution in English local authorities and regions, as an indicator within the Public Health Outcomes Framework for England, published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. This framework is available at the following link:
The UKHSA provides the scientific secretariat to the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, an expert committee of the Department, which advises the Government on matters concerning the health effects of air pollutants. Further information on this committee is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/committee-on-the-medical-effects-of-air-pollutants-comeap
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of young people that had access to a youth centre within five miles of their home in (a) 2010, (b) 2015 and (c) 2024.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not hold the data requested.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many youth centres have been in operation each year since 2010.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not hold the data requested.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of average waiting times for young people to access mental health services in Warwickshire.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Whilst the Department has made no such assessment, we know that some children and young people are waiting longer than we would like to get help with their mental health, which is why we have been increasing access to services. Over the year to December 2023, over 750,000 children and young people aged under 18 years old were supported through National Health Service-funded mental health services, representing a 31% increase since March 2021.
NHS England is working to improve the quality of data on access and waiting times for children and their families and carers waiting to receive community-based mental health care. NHS England began publishing this new data in 2023 to improve transparency and drive local accountability.