Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much Start for Life funding her Department budgeted for distribution to participating local authorities in the 2022-23 financial year; and how much and what proportion of that funding was received by those local authorities as of 31 January 2023.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The department budgeted the following to spend on grants for the 75 local authorities on the Family Hubs Start for Life Programme in 2022/23:
The remainder of the grants paid to local authorities for the Family Hubs Start for Life Programme in 2022-23 are grants from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). These grants cover perinatal mental health, including parent and infant relationships, infant feeding, parent and carer panels, Start for Life publishing, and workforce trials.
As of 31 January 2023, all local authorities had been paid their first of two grants for 2022/23. The Department have paid the following in grants to local authorities up to and including 31 January 2023:
Local authorities will receive their second and final grant payment for 2022/23 in March 2023, with the majority receiving this by 13 March 2023.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding provision for early years settings.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
In the 2021 Spending Review the department announced additional funding for early years of £160 million in 2022/23, £180 million in 2023/24 and £170 million in 2024/25, compared to the 2021/22 financial year.
The department has recently announced that we will invest an additional £20 million into early years funding in 2023/24, on top of the additional funding announced in the 2021 Spending Review. Taken together, this will help support providers at a national level with the additional National Living Wage costs associated with delivering the free childcare entitlements next year. The department will also be investing an additional £10 million into Maintained Nursery School supplementary funding from 2023/24.
In 2023/24, local authorities are set to receive average funding increases of 3.4% for the 3- and 4-year-old free childcare entitlements and 4% for the 2- year-old entitlement, compared to their 2022/23 rates.
The department has again increased the early years pupil premium, which for 2023/24 will provide up to £353 per eligible child per year to support better outcomes for disadvantaged 3- and 4-year- olds. The department has also increased the Disability Access Fund, which will be worth at least £828 per eligible child per year.
The department continues to engage with sector stakeholders and local authorities to monitor the sufficiency of childcare places and sustainability of the early years sector.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of sourcing more British produce for the School Fruit and Vegetable scheme.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ food strategy, published in June 2022, the Government set out its commitment to conduct a review of the policy and delivery of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme. The Department is working together with officials from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the review. The scope of the programme and sustainability of produce will be factors for consideration.
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is operated by a private contractor on behalf of DHSC. Seasonal produce is used as part of the scheme and organic produce may be used. Officials in DHSC and the Department have been working together in recent months on how the scheme might be improved in the future.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the School Fruit and Vegetable scheme to more children in state funded primary schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ food strategy, published in June 2022, the Government set out its commitment to conduct a review of the policy and delivery of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme. The Department is working together with officials from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the review. The scope of the programme and sustainability of produce will be factors for consideration.
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is operated by a private contractor on behalf of DHSC. Seasonal produce is used as part of the scheme and organic produce may be used. Officials in DHSC and the Department have been working together in recent months on how the scheme might be improved in the future.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on students of the 2.3% rise in maintenance loans in the context of rising levels of inflation.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Decisions on student support are taken on an annual basis.
The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen and impacted students this year. Many higher education providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance.
There is £261 million of student premium funding available this academic year to support disadvantaged students who need additional help.
The department has continued to increase living costs support with a 2.3% increase for maximum loans, grants for living, and other costs for the 2022/23 academic year. Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the 2022/23 financial year has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had on tailored support for students during the cost of living crisis.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year and impacted students. Many higher education providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance.
There is £261 million of student premium funding available this academic year to support disadvantaged students who need additional help. The department has worked with the Office for Students to ensure universities support students in hardship by using hardship funds and drawing on the student premium.
In addition, all households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount. The Energy Prices Bill introduced on 12 October includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support, as appropriate, onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this legislation will be set out in regulations.
Students whose bills are included in their rent, including energy charges, will typically have agreed their accommodation costs upfront when signing their contract for the current academic year. Businesses, including those that provide student accommodation, are covered by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which provides energy bill relief for non-domestic customers in Great Britain.
A HM Treasury-led review will be launched to consider how to support households and businesses with energy bills after April 2023.