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Written Question
Special Educational Needs: Surrey
Monday 18th November 2024

Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of her Department's Safety Valve Agreement with Surrey County Council on (a) funding per EHCP in Surrey and (b) quality of SEND provision in Surrey.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The Safety Valve programme helps local authorities provide an improved special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) service by maximising the impact of their high needs budget and promoting a more stable and effective system for children and young people with SEND. Safety Valve agreements were established only if both the local authority and the department agreed that the proposals would improve services for children and young people with SEND. The future use of Safety Valve agreements is under review.

Existing Safety Valve agreements do not in any way release local authorities from their obligation to fulfil their statutory duties to children and young people with SEND, and no agreement would have been made if it compromised a local authority’s ability to meet these obligations. The department regularly reviews the implementation of all Safety Valve agreements through our monitoring process, and provides support and intervention if they go off track. The department does not hold any data on the potential impact of Surrey’s Safety Valve agreement regarding funding per education, health and care plan.

Written Question
Freehold: Service Charges
Friday 15th November 2024

Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will take steps to (a) improve the transparency of estate charges for freeholders, (b) give freeholders the power to challenge estate charges and (c) give freeholders more powers to take over estate management through a Right to Manage company.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to taking steps to bring the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ private estates and unfair maintenance costs to an end and we will consult on the best way to achieve this.

In the interim, we will act to provide residential freeholders with greater protections by implementing the relevant provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. The implementation of that Act will require an extensive programme of secondary legislation, and we will set out the details in due course.

Division Vote (Commons)
13 Nov 2024 - Exiting the European Union - View Vote Context
Monica Harding (LD) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and in line with the House
One of 57 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 0 Liberal Democrat No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 412 Noes - 16
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Wed 13 Nov 2024
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill [Lords]

Speech Link

View all Monica Harding (LD - Esher and Walton) contributions to the debate on: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill [Lords]
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Wed 13 Nov 2024
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill [Lords]

Speech Link

View all Monica Harding (LD - Esher and Walton) contributions to the debate on: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill [Lords]
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Wed 13 Nov 2024
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill [Lords]

Speech Link

View all Monica Harding (LD - Esher and Walton) contributions to the debate on: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill [Lords]
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Wed 13 Nov 2024
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill [Lords]

Speech Link

View all Monica Harding (LD - Esher and Walton) contributions to the debate on: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill [Lords]
Division Vote (Commons)
12 Nov 2024 - House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill - View Vote Context
Monica Harding (LD) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 65 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 0 Liberal Democrat No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 93 Noes - 355
Division Vote (Commons)
12 Nov 2024 - House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill - View Vote Context
Monica Harding (LD) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and in line with the House
One of 65 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 0 Liberal Democrat No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 435 Noes - 73
MP Financial Interest
Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Original Source (11th November 2024)
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources
Name of donor: National Liberal Club
Address of donor: 1 Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HE
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Complimentary membership of the NLC from October 2024 to December 2025, value £1,347.88
Date received: 11 October 2024 to 31 December 2025
Date accepted: 11 October 2024
Donor status: company, registration 01355034
(Registered 9 November 2024)