Oral Answers to Questions

John Bercow Excerpts

Monday 24th June 2019 Commons Chamber

[David Hanson]

May I first take a moment to congratulate you, Mr Speaker, on serving 10 years in the Chair? That is worthy of recognition.

Will the Minister give some indication of when the results of the consultation on the restraint of children will be published? The consultation closed in January 2018, having commenced in 2017. When is it going to happen?

[Mr Speaker]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman very warmly for what he has said.

[Nadhim Zahawi]

May I add my congratulations, Mr Speaker, on your 10 years in the Chair?

The consultation will be published very, very shortly.

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[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Member for Huddersfield (Mr Sheerman) sports an admirable tie, about which my only reservation is that it is a tad understated.

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[Robert Halfon (Harlow) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

I call the illustrious Chair of the Select Committee, Mr Robert Halfon.

[Robert Halfon]

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and congratulations.

I know that my right hon. Friend is a doughty campaigner for more further education funding, but the main estimates memorandum for 2019-20 shows that resource expenditure on further education on a like-for-like basis is falling by 3.3% in cash terms and more in real terms, and the Department for Education’s capital budget for FE is also set to decrease by 40% from £186 million to £112 million. Can she explain the reason for the reduction and its impact?

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[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Mr Speaker]

Ah, young Sir Patrick, looking as cheerful as ever.

[Sir Patrick McLoughlin (Derbyshire Dales) (Con)]

Is there any way to see whether pupils are being let down by their schools, other than seeing that they are not getting up to certain standards?

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[Nick Gibb]

We will keep the formula design under consideration and we will consider feedback on specific factors when developing the formula in the future. For this coming financial year, the formula is already fixed. However, as I said earlier we are in discussion and preparing for the spending review. We want the best possible settlement for small rural schools and the education sector as a whole.

[Mr Speaker]

We are running late, but I do not want the subject of special educational needs and disabilities to miss out, so we will take the next question. However, I appeal to the questioners to be particularly brief.

[Sarah Jones (Croydon Central) (Lab)]

17. What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

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[Alex Cunningham]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. If the hon. Gentleman were to conduct himself in that manner in a breakfast club, he would be in danger of permanent exclusion. It would be a very unseemly state of affairs, and I would not wish it on him or, indeed, on his fellow attendees.

[Lee Rowley (North East Derbyshire) (Con)]

Will the Secretary of State join me in congratulating the headteacher of Dronfield Henry Fanshawe school on the two lifetime achievement awards that she received last week, which demonstrate the esteem in which the school and Miss Roche are held in the Dronfield community?

[Mr Speaker]

My experience is that whenever I listen to the Secretary of State, I feel not only entertained but improved. I am deeply grateful to him.

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

A shrinking curriculum, larger class sizes, less student contact time and less student support are some of the effects of shrinking student funding for 16 to 18-year-olds. It is time to raise the rate. What order of priority is being given to speaking to the Treasury to ensure that that is done?

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Mr Speaker]

Final inquiries must not exceed a sentence each.

[Eddie Hughes (Walsall North) (Con)]

I hope the Minister will agree that Catholic education providers make a great contribution to education in this country. With that in mind will the Minister provide an update on the uptake of the voluntary-aided capital scheme?

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[Damian Hinds]

As I have acknowledged on a number of occasions, I know the strains on school budgets and how difficult it can be to manage them. The hon. Lady specifically raised the question of teaching assistants: there has been an increase of over 40,000 teaching assistants since 2010.

[Mr Speaker]

I would not want the hon. Member for High Peak (Ruth George) to feel socially excluded: I call Ruth George.

[Ruth George (High Peak) (Lab)]

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker,

Since 2016, more than 10% of childcare settings in High Peak have closed and a large number of others have contacted me to say that they feel they are no longer financially sustainable. What will the Secretary of State be doing to speak to the Chancellor and make sure those childcare settings can see a way forward?