Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of school transport support available to parents of SEND children in Slough.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Slough to the answer of 30 December 2024 to Question 20796.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with local councils on funding available for school transport services for SEND children.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Slough to the answer of 30 December 2024 to Question 20796.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the use of AI in her Department on security.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The UK government is dedicated to leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance public services safely and securely. The AI Playbook for the UK Government security section (p. 74) includes an assessment of the risks coming from the use of AI. The Playbook includes worked scenarios for AI use which detail potential impacts for the different types of risk. All AI services must adhere to Secure by Design principles and conduct risk assessments, including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs).
The department has established an AI working group to identify, assess and manage opportunities and risks associated with AI technologies in the department. Before any new technology or product is implemented in the department it undergoes security assurance and data protection considerations.
Critical and important systems and services are risk assessed by the department’s Information Security team to identify and communicate risks to service risk owners, and to provide recommendations to mitigate those risks that are above the service and department’s risk appetite.
Security concerns on cross government use of AI tools such as Humphrey are managed centrally via the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Government Security Group.
The following resources, produced by His Majesty’s Government, are available to the department:
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with universities on (a) support and (b) accommodations for students who receive a cancer diagnosis during their studies.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Slough to the answer of 29 March 2025 to Question 34303.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of recent trends in the levels of welding training courses available.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department supports learners who wish to have a career in welding through our technical education offer, with a range of high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities available at all levels. This includes the level 2 welder apprenticeship standard and the plate welder and pipe welder apprenticeship standards at level 3.
T Levels in engineering, manufacturing, processing and control are now being taught across the country, providing students with the core knowledge and skills in fabrication and welding technologies.
Welding is predominately a level 2 occupational entry point and, at level 1 and 2, there are seventeen qualifications in welding available to young people and adults, including two new reformed level 2 technical qualifications approved for funding from 1 August 2025.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The median age of computers issued to officials is 3 years and 2 months.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with Student Finance England on potential accommodations for students who have to pause studies for medical reasons.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Students who are absent from their course for more than 60 days due to illness and have agreed with their higher education (HE) provider to suspend their studies can apply to Student Finance England (SFE) to continue their cost of living support payments.
The HE provider must notify SFE that the student is suspending their studies, giving the reasons for suspending and providing an agreed date of return, generally up to a maximum of one year’s absence or up to two years in exceptional circumstances. SFE will consider each case on its own merits, including the reasons for the absence, whether the student will face financial hardship during their absence, whether the student has dependants and the prospect of the student returning to the course.
If a student needs to repeat a year of study due to compelling personal reasons (CPR), they may be entitled to an additional year of tuition fee funding in addition to their standard entitlement. SFE will request evidence to support a claim that the repeat year was for CPR. For instance, the student might be able to provide medical evidence from their GP. Ultimately, the decision is for SFE to make based on the evidence provided and the individual merits of each case.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the average waiting time for a child to receive an education, health and care plan in (a) England, (b) Berkshire and (c) Slough constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes official statistics on education, health and care (EHC) plans annually and these can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans. This includes data at local authority level on the rate of EHC plans issued within the statutory deadline of twenty weeks.
The table linked below shows the number of plans issued within the statutory 20-week deadline for each of the 6 unitary authorities in Berkshire, and the overall figure for England, for the 2023 calendar year:
Information at constituency level is not available.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of school uniform costs on families in Slough.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department published its latest research on the cost of school uniform in September 2024, which surveyed parents and carers of children aged 4 to 16 attending state-funded schools in England. The research can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023.
This research found that the average total expenditure on school uniform and physical education (PE) kit, based on the items required in 2023, was £381.92. There were higher levels of expenditure for children in secondary schools, at £442.25, than in primary schools, at £343.28, and within both phases for girls (secondary: £454.31; primary: £357.28) compared to boys (secondary: £430.40; primary: £330.78).
The data was sampled to be representative of the population at primary and secondary level. The sample size was not large enough to make robust comparisons at a regional level.
Too many families still tell the department that the cost of school uniform remains a financial burden. This is why we have introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require to bring down costs for parents and remove barriers from children accessing sport and other school activities. This will give parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allow them greater flexibility to make the spending decisions that suit their circumstances.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of continually accrued student loan interest on students when they pause their studies due to unforeseen circumstances.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
UK higher education creates opportunity, is an engine for growth in the economy, and supports local communities. The department is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university.
Student loans are subject to interest to ensure that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree.
Interest is charged from the first payment of the student loan is made until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled, with interest added to the principal balance each month. Interest will continue to accrue even if a student suspends or withdraws from their course, including for students pausing their studies due to unforeseen circumstances. Borrowers will be liable to repay after leaving study only when earning over the relevant student loan repayment threshold.
After study, unlike commercial loans, student loans carry significant protections for borrowers. Regular student loan repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not the interest rate or amount borrowed, and no repayments are made for earnings below the relevant student loan repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt, including interest built up, is written off at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower.