Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of exempting modular housing manufacturers from the Construction Industry Training Board levy.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) levy applies to all employers engaged wholly or mainly in construction industry activities, unless exempted. A full list of construction industry activities in scope for the purposes of the CITB levy can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1992/3048/schedule/1/made.
The department has not been asked to consider a request to amend this list.
The department does not intend to exempt any in scope employers from the CITB levy on the basis they also pay the apprenticeship levy. The CITB levy and apprenticeship levy fund different activities. The apprenticeship levy is ‘ring-fenced’ to support apprenticeships in England across all sectors and occupations. The CITB levy is specific to the construction industry and invested by CITB in training and other projects for the benefit of the sector. This includes grants to employers to train new staff or develop the skills of their existing workforce, initiatives to help the industry recruit new talent and support the transfer of skilled workers.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the maximum tuition fee limit in response to the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on the wider student experience.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government remains committed to driving up the quality of higher education (HE) provision, ensuring that student finance is sustainable, and promoting genuine social mobility.
We recognise that tuition fees must continue to represent value for money for students and taxpayers, both during the COVID-19 outbreak and after. The independent panel chaired by Sir Philip Augar that reported to the review of post-18 education and funding made many recommendations regarding HE, including on fees and finance. We continue to consider those recommendations carefully and will conclude the review at the next Comprehensive Spending Review.
Our income-contingent student loan system helps remove financial barriers to study and means that no eligible student needs to pay tuition fees upfront. The government has already announced that the maximum tuition fee cap will remain at £9,250 for the 2021/22 academic year in respect of standard full-time courses at approved (fee cap) providers. We are also freezing the maximum tuition fee cap for the 2022/23 academic year - the fifth year in succession that maximum fees have been frozen - to deliver better value for students and to keep the cost of HE under control. HE providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees under this level. In deciding to keep charging full fees, providers should ensure that they can continue to deliver courses that are fit for purpose and that help students to progress towards earning their qualifications.
If students have concerns, there is also a complaints process in place. They should first raise their concerns with their university. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) to consider their complaint. The OIA website is available via the following link: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/.
The government has worked closely with the Office for Students to make clear that providers can draw upon existing funding to increase hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by COVID-19. Providers are able to use the funding, worth around £256 million for the academic year 2020/21, towards addressing student hardship.
We have also made an additional £85 million of student hardship funding available to higher education providers in the 2020/21 academic year. Support can include assistance to help students access teaching remotely.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the criteria used to determine which areas with primary schools were made subject to the contingency framework on Wednesday 30 December 2020.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In considering which areas may be suitable for primary restrictions under our contingency framework, the Department worked closely with Public Health England, the Joint Biosecurity Centre, NHS Test & Trace and the Department for Health and Social Care using the most recent data available. We used a balanced approach, rather than simple threshold cut offs, and took all factors into account, but with particular focus on: very high rates of infection, particularly high increases in seven-day case rates, and intelligence about pressure on the NHS.
These were not easy decisions to make, but they were made according to the best clinical advice and the key indicators set out within the COVID-19 Winter Plan. More information on the COVID-19 Winter Plan can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-winter-plan.
The national lockdown announced on 4 January 2021 replaced the restrictions that had been active in some primary schools under the contingency framework. We will be continually reviewing the restrictions on schools, colleges and universities to ensure that pupils and students can return to face to face education when the pressures are easing on the NHS.
These decisions do not suggest that schools and colleges are no longer safe places. Instead, limiting attendance is about reducing the number of contacts that all of us have with people in other households.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the guidance, local restriction tiers: what you need to know, published on 23 November 2020, whether it is permissible for private tutors to use their own homes to provide tuition to individual pupils.
Answered by Nick Gibb
As of 2 December, providers offering out-of-school activities to children, including private tuition, are able to open for both indoor and outdoor provision in areas at all restriction tiers, with safety measures in place. We have updated our guidance for providers of after-school and holiday clubs and other out-of-school settings on the measures they should put in place to ensure they are operating as safely as possible. For example, the guidance advises that private tutors working from their own home should consider whether a specific, well-ventilated room could be designated for lessons. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/protective-measures-for-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. If a private tutor normally offers provision in their own home or students’ homes, they should also refer to the government guidance on ‘Working safely during coronavirus in other people’s homes’, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/homes.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to allow maintained nursery schools to access funding for exceptional costs in response to the covid-19 outbreak for the period from March to July 2020.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The government recognises that maintained nursery schools are an important part of the early years sector and provide valuable services, especially in disadvantaged areas.
We are committed to funding for maintained nursery schools in the longer term. Last October, we announced that maintained nursery schools would continue to receive supplementary funding for the whole of the financial year 2020-21 and this is unchanged by the COVID-19 outbreak, along with their funding for the usual early education entitlements through the dedicated schools grant. At the moment, our resources are focused on tackling the unprecedented challenges created by COVID-19. But resolving the long-term funding of maintained nursery schools is high on our list of priorities and we will return to it as soon as we are able. Any reform to the way maintained nursery schools are funded in the future will be accompanied by appropriate funding protections.
Unlike most state-funded schools, maintained nursery schools typically rely on private income for a significant proportion of their total income. Therefore, we have ensured that access to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is also available to maintained nursery schools, in line with the published guidance.
Maintained nursery schools can access the free school meal vouchers via Edenred.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff of his Department are paid less than the London Living Wage; and what requirements his Department places on contractors to pay the London Living Wage to London-based staff.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
All employees based inside Greater London are paid at least the London Living Wage.
The department supports the use of the Crown Commercial Service Public Sector Framework as the route to market for contingent workers. All contingent workers based inside Greater London are paid at least the London Living Wage.
There are 93 employees based in regional offices outside of Greater London that are paid below the London Living Wage but are all paid more than the National Living Wage and the UK Real Living Wage.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich of 7 March 2019 on the effect of public sector pensions schemes on Ravensbourne University London.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
I responded to the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich, Matthew Pennycook, on 19 June.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when Ofsted plans to carry out a monitoring inspection of the John Roan secondary school in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
Answered by Nick Gibb
This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding per child in maintained nursery schools.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We are providing supplementary funding of around £60 million a year to enable local authorities to protect maintained nursery school (MNS) funding until 2019-20. It is for local authorities to set the rates paid to maintained nursery schools. This supplementary funding provides MNS with stability whilst we develop a long-term solution for them. An important part of this will be understanding the value for money that they offer, and new research will report on this later in the year.
MNS also benefit from our increased hourly rates paid to local authorities to deliver the 15 hour free entitlement for disadvantaged two-year-olds. From April 2017, all local authorities saw 7% increases in their funding rates for two-year-olds.
Future funding decisions after 2019-20 will be set at the next spending review.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the level of free childcare funding per two-year-old in maintained nursery schools has risen in line with inflation.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We are providing supplementary funding of around £60 million a year to enable local authorities to protect maintained nursery school (MNS) funding until 2019-20. It is for local authorities to set the rates paid to maintained nursery schools. This supplementary funding provides MNS with stability whilst we develop a long-term solution for them. An important part of this will be understanding the value for money that they offer, and new research will report on this later in the year.
MNS also benefit from our increased hourly rates paid to local authorities to deliver the 15 hour free entitlement for disadvantaged two-year-olds. From April 2017, all local authorities saw 7% increases in their funding rates for two-year-olds.
Future funding decisions after 2019-20 will be set at the next spending review.