Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2019 to Question 277859, whether he currently has the legislative authority to place guidance on school uniforms on a statutory footing.

The Department intend to put the school uniform guidance on a statutory footing when a suitable legislative opportunity arises. No education bill was announced in the most recent Queen’s speech, which set out the proposed legislative programme for this session of Parliament.

Statutory guidance cannot be issued without the legislative powers to do so.