Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that the Curriculum and Assessment Review focuses on the provision of (a) inclusive and (b) nurturing approaches to education.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The Curriculum and Assessment Review is being independently conducted by a group of education leaders and chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The terms of reference were published in July and are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/curriculum-and-assessment-review.
The review has been asked to consider how to remove both barriers to learning and ceilings to achievement. It will support the innovation and professionalism of teachers, enabling them to adapt how they teach the curriculum to their students’ lives and life experiences. It will also ensure that the curriculum appropriately balances ambition, excellence, relevance, flexibility and inclusivity for all children and young people.
The role of the review group is to consider the evidence, the responses to the call for evidence and widespread engagement with the sector, and then make recommendations for the government to consider.
The review group will publish an interim report early in 2025 setting out their interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work. The final review with recommendations will be published in autumn 2025.
The government will consider changes in light of the recommendations of the review.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the metrics by which the new Ofsted report cards will judge their inclusion criterion.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working closely with Ofsted on inspection reform. Schools should be held accountable for their approach to inclusion so that all children are given the high quality support they need to learn and thrive. Report cards are currently in development and will be consulted upon in the new year.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, Education what steps her Department is taking to ensure Ofsted inspections assess the steps schools take to ensure children’s wellbeing on the school estate.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to my hon. Friend, the Member for Warrington South, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of Assets of Community Value (a) listed by each local authority and (b) rejected by each local authority in the last three years.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Information about Assets of Community Value listed by local authorities is held locally, and is not collected by central Government. The Government has committed to introducing a stronger Community Right to Buy through the English Devolution Bill, as part of which we are considering any changes to the Assets of Community Value process that are required to ensure the policy functions as effectively as possible.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of assets that were bought by community groups through the Community Right to Bid process since its introduction.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Information about Assets of Community Value listed by local authorities is held locally, and is not collected by central Government. The Government has committed to introducing a stronger Community Right to Buy through the English Devolution Bill, as part of which we are considering any changes to the Assets of Community Value process that are required to ensure the policy functions as effectively as possible.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he had with his Chinese counterpart on trade deals during his visit to China in October 2024.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Secretary of State held wide-ranging talks with his counterpart during his visit to China in October 2024, covering the breadth of the UK-China bilateral relationship. He discussed the promotion of secure and resilient growth through increased trade and investment with China, which creates jobs, drives innovation, boosts productivity and provides economic stability and certainty for the UK economy.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of setting national (a) standards and (b) timescales for repairs to social housing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All social homes should be decent, safe and warm. The government have committed to bringing forward the regulations necessary to introduce Awaab’s Law in the Social Rented Sector, and to consulting on a new Decent Homes Standard and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards early next year. We will set out an assessment of the costs and impacts of the relevant requirements alongside each consultation and subsequent consultation response.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timeline is for bringing the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Our election manifesto committed to “strengthen support for our Armed Forces communities by putting the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law” to help improve their lives across a broad range of areas. We are now developing policy options to take this forward.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will update the NHS website to include (a) hyperinsulinism amongst rare diseases and (b) what to do should you or someone you know exhibit symptoms of hyperinsulinism.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to update the National Health Service website to include information on hyperinsulinism. There are over 7,000 rare diseases often needing highly specialised input, and so the NHS website is not always the most appropriate platform to disseminate such information.
Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a rare and complex condition requiring specialised care through a multidisciplinary team led by an expert paediatric endocrinology service. CHI is present from birth, and a child usually starts to show symptoms within the first few days of life, although very occasionally symptoms may appear later in infancy. These patients may not be picked up in hospital after birth and will present often to their midwife or general practitioner with symptoms, and require referral to specialist care later on in infancy. Symptoms can include floppiness, shakiness, poor feeding, sleepiness, and seizures. It is important that anyone who is worried their child may be exhibiting these symptoms seeks urgent medical advice. Ideally, children with suspected CHI should be transferred to a specialist centre.
NHS England commissions this highly specialised service for CHI from three units: Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children; Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital; and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of (a) badges and (b) piping for school uniforms on household expenditure.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department has not assessed the impact of the cost of specific designs for school uniforms on household expenditure. However, the department recently published its latest research on the cost of school uniforms, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023.
This research surveyed parents and carers of children aged 4 to 16 attending state-funded schools in England and found that average uniform expenditure decreased as the range of outlets from which parents/carers were allowed to purchase items increased. The average spend on items was significantly lower where all could be purchased from anywhere (£227.29), than where all had to be purchased from a designated shop or from a school (£283.90).
That is why as part of the King’s Speech, the department has committed to legislate to limit the number of expensive branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require.