Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether funding allocated by her Department to the Haberdashers' Aske's Federation Trust is top-sliced by the Trust prior to its distribution to schools.
The Haberdashers' Aske's Federation Trust retains income to cover the costs of central services, which are attributable to all academies within the multi-academy trust. In 2012/13, this equated to £2.16 million.
For the years in question, the amounts defrauded from the Trust were:
2010-11 £1,047,788 (3.33% of income)
2011-12 £914,316 (1.66% of income)
2012-13 Nil
The CEO and Accounting Officer in 2010-2011 was Dr Liz Sidwell. In 2011-12 and 2012-13 it was Adrian Percival.
The funds defrauded from the Trust were intended to be used for educational purposes, in line with requirements in the funding agreement and academies financial handbook. The money was taken from the Trust’s overall budget.
The Trust notified the Department for Education of the fraud on 1 November 2012. Senior officials worked with the Trust immediately to assess its financial systems and risks. The Department has provided ongoing monitoring and support to ensure that the Trust has taken all appropriate actions.