Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the number of free school projects that were cancelled after receiving government funding and (b) the total cost to the public purse of cancelled free school projects in each year since the introduction of free schools.

The primary objective of the department in all cases is to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for pupils and to secure value for money for the taxpayer. Where we have had concerns over the long-term success and viability of a proposed free school that has not yet opened, we take swift and decisive action to cancel the project. As a result, since the start of the programme, we have cancelled 30 free school proposals.

The department publishes revenue and capital costs associated with cancelled free school projects on a regular basis through its annual accounts and on GOV.UK. Of the cancelled projects with costs published to date, the total cost to the public purse has been £6,762,381. This total does not include free school projects that were withdrawn by the proposer during the pre-opening period.