Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the socio-economic background of people appointed to senior positions in his Department in the last five years.
Answered by Jake Berry
The Civil Service is currently looking at the best way to start implementing the measures published earlier in June across Government Departments, to better understand the background of people appointed in senior positions.
The Government is committed to social mobility, and we are committed to creating an organisation in which everybody can thrive.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applicants were (a) long-listed, (b) shortlisted and (c) interviewed for the position of Chair of the Social Mobility Commission; how many people and who were on the panels to decide on the (i) long-list, (ii) shortlist and (iii) list of interviewees for that position; how many stages of interview took place for that position; and who interviewed the applicants in those interviews.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The department received 21 applications for the role of Chair of the Social Mobility Commission. Four of these applicants were shortlisted and three of the shortlisted applicant were interviewed after one applicant withdrew.
The shortlisting and interviews were undertaken by Emran Mian (Director of Social Mobility and Strategy at the Department for Education), Nick Markham (lead non-executive director at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) and Ruby McGregor Smith (non-executive board member at the Department for Education). Both the shortlisting and interview process were carried out in line with guidance from the Centre of Public Appointments.
One stage of interviews took place for the position and the panel recommended Martina Milburn as an appointable candidate. The government was pleased to announce her as their preferred candidate. The process to appoint a Chair of the Social Mobility Commission was run in accordance with advice from the Cabinet Office and the Department for Education’s Public Appointments team and it was fully in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the report by the National Union of Students, Class dismissed: Getting in and getting on in further and higher education, published on 23 April, what steps they plan to take to tackle the 'poverty premium' in tertiary education in order for working class students to excel in post-16 educational settings.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Widening participation remains a priority for this government, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from further or higher education and apprenticeships regardless of their background. “Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential,” published in December 2017, set out our plan for improving social mobility through education. A copy of this report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 19 December 2017.
The 16 - 18 Bursary Fund provides financial help to young people in further education who need help with costs such as travel and essential course equipment. Annual bursaries of up to £1,200 are available to vulnerable students such as those in care, care leavers and those receiving certain income or disability benefits in their own right. £130 million was allocated for discretionary bursaries to institutions in 2017 to 2018. A further £34 million was allocated in 2017 to 2018 for free meals.
Changes to the student finance system have allowed more 18 year olds to enter higher education than ever before, including the highest ever number from disadvantaged backgrounds. Students from the lowest-income households starting their courses in 2018 to 2019 will have access to the largest ever amounts of cash-in-hand support for their living costs. Support for living costs increased by 10.3% for eligible students on the lowest incomes in 2016 to 2017 compared with the previous system, with further increases of 2.8 per cent for the current academic year. The government has announced a further 3.2 per cent increase in 2018 to 2019.
A young person on an apprenticeship will receive at least the national minimum wage, which increased to £3.70 per hour in April 2018. The Apprenticeship Pay Survey 2016 estimates that the average gross hourly pay for apprentices in England was £6.70 an hour for level 2 and 3 apprentices and £9.83 for higher level apprenticeships.
For apprentices claiming benefits in their own right, financial support is available for those on low incomes. Young people may be able to claim Universal Credit or Tax Credits to help with living costs. Universal Credit is also an in-work benefit, so young claimants in work on low wages, including apprentices under contract, can continue to claim housing support.
Delivering more, better quality apprenticeships will make sure that more people from lower socio-economic backgrounds can gain the skills and training they need to build successful careers. The new funding model supports apprentices who are training on frameworks from disadvantaged areas by providing a cash payment to providers for training apprentices who live in the top 27 per cent of deprived areas.
The Review of Post-18 Education and Funding aims to ensure that everyone from every background can access tertiary education. There will be an extensive programme of engagement with stakeholders and experts, including students and recent graduates. An independent panel will publish their report at an interim stage before the government concludes the overall review in early 2019.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to co-ordinate cross-Whitehall working to increase social mobility in response to the recommendations of the Social Mobility Commission report, State of the Nation 2017: Social Mobility in Great Britain.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We welcome the Social Mobility Commission’s annual reports to Parliament.
Social mobility is a cross-government priority. The government’s Industrial Strategy, published in November, sets out a clear plan to boost prosperity and productivity by focusing on places and people. We are also boosting salaries through the introduction of the National Living Wage, creating more full-time, permanent jobs, and investing in affordable housing. Together, these policies will improve lives and tackle injustice in society.
In December, the department published ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’, a plan for improving social mobility through education. Government departments across Whitehall were engaged in the policy development and drafting of this document. We are also investing £72 million in 12 Opportunity Areas, to focus effort on areas of the country with the greatest challenges and fewest opportunities. The Commission identified all 12 of these areas as social mobility coldspots in its 2016 Social Mobility Index.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to improve social mobility in each of the last seven years.
Answered by Marcus Jones
My Department is driving forward the devolution agenda in England. Across government we are making huge strides towards rebalancing the economy and empowering local government. 33 per cent of England’s population now has a directly elected mayor, with new powers to create jobs, improve skills, build homes and make it easier to travel. Across the whole of England we are devolving over £9 billion between 2015 and 2021 to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) through our Growth Deal programme to spend on their priorities for growth. We have also agreed City and Growth Deals in Scotland and Wales and are in the process of negotiating more, including in Northern Ireland, making sure all parts of the UK benefit from the benefits of devolution.
Our place-based Industrial Strategy sets out a bold vision for the future of the UK. We are strengthening the role of LEPs and agreeing new local industrial strategies that build on local strengths and deliver on economic opportunities. We have also committed to replacing EU Structural Funds when we have left the EU, delivering the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will be aimed at reducing inequalities between communities across all four nations.
My Department is also fixing the broken housing market, supporting first time buyers to get on to the housing ladder while ensuring the housing market works for all parts of our community, getting more of the right homes get built in the places people want to live. The reforms my Department has announced put us on track to raise housing supply by the end of the current Parliament to its highest annual level since 1970.
The Troubled Families Programme commits £920 million from my Department to make sure local services intervene early to support families with multiple problems, including for example those affected by domestic abuse, parental conflict, drug, alcohol or mental health problems and where children are in need of help. This programme makes sure children are in education, parents in work and families have better outcomes and are able to be socially mobile.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to improve social mobility in each of the last seven years.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Improving social mobility is at the heart of the government’s ambition to make Britain a country that works for everyone. A strong economy means there are more job opportunities and that wages are higher, both of which are vital to improve social mobility. The Autumn Budget committed to tackling poverty, improving skills, and ensuring that every generation can look forward to a better standard of living than the one before.
Since 2010 there are 600,000 fewer people, including 200,000 fewer children, in absolute poverty (before housing costs), and employment has risen to near record levels in the UK, accounting for the bulk of GDP growth over the last seven years. The Autumn Budget announced further action to raise living standards by increasing the National Living Wage and to make progress on delivering the manifesto commitment to raise the personal allowance to £12,500. Furthermore, the Budget announced £406m of investment in skills, with a focus of mathematics and digital skills, thereby helping people obtain the abilities they need to secure better paid and highly skilled jobs.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 18 of the Social Mobility Commission Report, Time for Change: an assessment of government policies on social mobility 1997-2017, what assessment he has made of the effect of poor housing conditions on social mobility.
Answered by Marcus Jones
Tackling social mobility is at the heart of the Government’s ambition to make Britain a country that works for everyone. All homes should be of a reasonable standard and everyone should have a safe place to live. In rented housing, the Government is committed to ensuring tenants enjoy decent standards and receive a service which represents value for money for their rent. Local authorities have strong and effective powers to deal with poor quality, unsafe accommodation.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 18 of the Social Mobility Commission's report, Time for Change: an assessment of government policies on social mobility 1997-2017, published on 28 June 2017, what assessment he has made of the effect of poor housing conditions on child development.
Answered by Lord Sharma
Good housing plays a very important role in helping children develop and reach their full potential. All homes should be of a reasonable standard and everyone should have a safe place to live. In rented housing, the Government is committed to ensuring tenants enjoy decent standards and receive a service which represents value for money for their rent. Local authorities have strong and effective powers to deal with poor quality, unsafe accommodation.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant by local authorities.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Covenant’s principles were enshrined in law in the Armed Forces Act 2011. This Government has demonstrated its commitment to upholding these principles, which is evident in the work reported in each of the four annual reports laid in the House. We will continue to report progress to Parliament. Next month’s Annual Report will detail the considerable progress made across government and with wider public, private and third sectors, including in the key areas of education, healthcare, accommodation and access to commercial services.
Every Local Authority in mainland Great Britain and two in Northern Ireland have signed a Community Covenant. We are working with them to help them deliver the support they have promised to the Armed Forces community, with good work in many areas including housing, education, health and social care.
Together we have taken a number of steps forward in this area, such as allocating funding from a £20 million budget to improve childcare facilities for Service families at 40 locations in the UK and Cyprus. In order to help Service children through local schools’ admissions processes, we have changed the Schools Admission Code in England to give them priority by allowing Service families to apply for and be allocated a place before they move into an area.
This year approximately £21 million was allocated in Service Pupil Premium payments for the pastoral needs of almost 70,000 Service pupils in state schools in England. In 2015, £6 million in grants was given to 154 applicants for Education Support Funding, to help UK state schools mitigate issues caused by exceptional mobility and deployment.
Furthermore, we have worked closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government and Devolved Administrations to ensure that Service personnel do not experience any disadvantage as a result of their military service when applying for social housing.
Asked by: Lucy Allan (Independent - Telford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will ensure that parents who share custody of a child are exempted from the under-occupancy penalty.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
With 1.7 million households on the social housing waiting list in England alone, 250,000 households living in overcrowded conditions, and around 820,000 spare bedrooms being paid for within the social sector it was important that something be done to address this and the housing benefit bill that was spiralling out of control.
The removal of spare room subsidy was introduced in April 2013 for these reasons as well as to strengthen work incentives; encourage both mobility within the social sector and the better use of available social housing by social landlords. More importantly, this measure was required to bring about parity of treatment between private and social rented sectors tenants because it is only fair that housing benefit claimants living in the social sector should make the same considerations as private sector tenants about the affordability of their rent rather than relying upon the taxpayer to meet the costs of housing that may be too large for their needs.
Providing blanket exemptions to the policy were not considered to be the most effective or affordable approach to targeting resources for those who are vulnerable. Nor was it considered right that the taxpayer should provide bedrooms in separate households for the same child where parents are separated especially as this could act as a disincentive to work.
To mitigate the impact for those facing difficult situations money was added to the Discretionary Housing Payment scheme. For instance this financial year £60 million has been added specifically for this measure. This however forms only part of the overall funding of £125 million for 2015/16, and since April 2013, £470 million has been provided in DHP funding. This is a proportionate approach which is effective and provides local authorities, who administer Housing Benefit, with the right level of flexibility to ensure that those who are vulnerable receive the help they need, an approach that has also been upheld by the Courts.