Spring Statement Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Spring Statement

Rachael Maskell Excerpts
Wednesday 13th March 2019

(5 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Hammond of Runnymede Portrait Mr Hammond
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I have answered the question. The benefits freeze will end at the end of the forthcoming year.

Rachael Maskell Portrait Rachael Maskell (York Central) (Lab/Co-op)
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York schools are the worst-funded in the country, we have the highest attainment gap, and the schools in the most deprived areas have had the largest per pupil funding cut. When will the Chancellor address this huge inequality?

Lord Hammond of Runnymede Portrait Mr Hammond
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The hon. Lady has a legitimate point. The funding as between schools and authorities is very unevenly distributed. That is why, when we put an extra £1.3 billion into the school system in 2017, we committed to a fair funding formula that would redistribute over time. That is happening. I understand that schools that are underfunded relative to the mean would like it to happen more quickly, but that has to be the answer. We have to move towards a fair distribution of funding between schools.