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Written Question
Schools: Greater London
Wednesday 28th February 2024

Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London received school improvement grants in (i) 2010-2017 and (ii) 2017-2023; how many grants were received in each period; and what the total amount for each school was in each period.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Departmental records show that:

(a) In the Enfield North constituency, no schools received or benefited from specific school improvement grants between 2010 and 2017. Between 2017 and the end of December 2023, 11 schools (c.21%) received or benefited from those specific school improvement grants.

(b) In the London Borough of Enfield, four schools (c.3%) received or benefited from specific school improvement grants between 2010 and 2017. Between 2017 and the end of December 2023, 23 schools (c.19%) received or benefited from specific school improvement grants.

(c) In London, 157 schools (c.4%) and nine academy trusts received or benefited from specific school improvement grants between 2010 and 2017. Between 2017 and the end of December 2023, 290 schools (c.10%) and 35 academy trusts received or benefited from specific school improvement grants.


The following specific grants have been included in this analysis:

  • Regional Academy Growth fund (RAGF) 2016/2017
  • Multi-academy Trust Development and Improvement Fund (MDIF) 2018/2019
  • Trust Capacity Fund (TCaF) - 2019 to date
  • Strategic School Improvement Capital Budget (SSICB) - 2016 to date
  • Environmental Improvement Grant (EIG) - 2016 to date
  • Emergency Strategic Improvement Fund (ESIF) - 2017 to date
  • School Improvement offer (SI) - 2018 to 2020
  • Trust and School Improvement offer (TSI) – 2021 to date

The department has limited this analysis to state-funded schools or establishments. The department has also included grants allocated for sponsored academy conversions as a result of government intervention between 2010 to date, as well as grants for transferring academies between academy trusts between 2012 to date, because these grants may include elements for school improvement activities.

This analysis has been limited to these grants as they can be quantified for some of the time periods requested. The department's policy of retaining financial records for seven years limits access to data before the 2016/17 financial year. Older data included in this analysis may be incomplete. Other grants by the department may contribute less directly to wider school improvement. In addition, many of these and other grants are allocated via academy trusts or other organisations and so schools may benefit indirectly without being the designated recipient from the department. Finally, not all grant programs have been operational throughout the entire 2010 to 2023 period.

For a summary of the grants awarded, please refer to Tables 1a-1c attached. For detailed grant awards to schools, where available, please see attached Tables 2a-2c.


Written Question
Charities: Lotteries
Tuesday 13th February 2024

Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department’s research on charity lottery sales and prize limits will assess the case for removing sales limits.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

As set out in the response to WPQ 203179, the annual sales limits for charity lotteries were reviewed 12 months after the reforms were implemented in 2020. The review concluded it was too soon to reach any firm view on the impact of the reforms, and that more data on the growth of the sector was needed before considering any further changes.

The department will continue to look closely at this, and work closely with the Gambling Commission to keep the sector and research regarding charity lottery sales and prize limits under review.

I have committed to commissioning independent research, and we are currently considering a range of options in discussion with the Gambling Commission.


Written Question
Press: Internet
Monday 5th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of big technology digital companies on the online news media market.

Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

As the independent Cairncross Review into the future of journalism identified, more and more aspects of society are played out online, and local news publishers are facing significant challenges in transitioning to sustainable digital business models. The Cairncross Review further concluded that some of the biggest technology companies are able to impose unfair terms on publishers, which limits publishers’ ability to monetise their content and threatens the sustainability of the press. We have introduced legislation to address the far-reaching power of the biggest technology firms. Among many other things, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill will help to rebalance the relationship between publishers and the online platforms on which they increasingly rely.

We have also supported news publishers through the delivery of a £2 million Future News Fund, the zero-rating of VAT on e-newspapers, and the publication of the Online Media Literacy Strategy. The BBC also continues to support the sector directly, through the £8 million it spends each year on the Local News Partnership, including the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme, which was expanded in 2020 to fund the placement of 165 journalists in newsrooms across the UK.

Separately, Ofcom is exploring the possible impacts of the growth of online news, and the role of online intermediaries in particular, on media plurality, and what, if any, regulatory changes may be necessary to maintain and secure it. We will consider Ofcom’s recommendations when its findings are published.


Written Question
Speed Limits
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 3 July 2023 to Question 191368 on Motorways: Speed Limits, and the report entitled Evaluation of the National HGV Speed Limit Increase in England and Wales, Year 2 Interim Report, published in March 2019, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of each 1mph increase to the speed limit on (a) motorways and (b) dual carriageways on (i) levels of (A) productivity and (B) economic growth and (ii) the cost of transporting goods.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

No assessment of this specific nature has been undertaken.


Written Question
Schools: Grants
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Vicky Ford (Conservative - Chelmsford)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in Chelmsford constituency received school improvement grants in (a) 2010-2017 and (b) 2017-2023; how many grants were received in each period; and what the total amount for each school was in each period.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Departmental records show that between 2010 and 2017 five schools in Chelmsford constituency received or benefited from specific school improvement grants, and between 2017 and the end of December 2023 ten schools received or benefited from specific school improvement grants.

The following grants have been included in this analysis:

  • Regional Academy Growth Fund (RAGF) 2016/17
  • Multi-academy Trust Development and Improvement Fund (MDIF) 2018/19
  • Trust Capacity Fund (TCaF) - 2019 to date
  • Strategic School Improvement Capital Budget (SSICB) - 2016 to date
  • Environmental Improvement Grant (EIG) - 2016 to date
  • Emergency Strategic Improvement Fund (ESIF) - 2017 to date
  • School Improvement offer (SI) - 2018 to 2020
  • Trust and School Improvement offer (TSI) – 2021 to date.

The department has also included grants allocated for sponsored academy conversions (2010 to date), as well as grants for transferring academies between trusts (2012 to date) because these grants may include elements for school improvement activities.

The department has limited this analysis to these grants as they can be quantified for some of the time periods requested. The department's policy of retaining financial records for seven years limits access to data before the 2016/17 financial year. Other department grants may contribute less directly to wider school improvement. In addition, many of these and other grants are allocated via academy trusts or other organisations, and so schools may benefit indirectly without being the designated recipient from department. Finally, not all grant programs have been operational throughout the entire period between 2010 and 2023.

For a summary of the grants awarded, and for relevant school-level data, please refer to the tables below:

Table 1: Summary of school improvement grants paid for supporting schools in Chelmsford constituency.

Number of institutions in receipt of a school improvement grant and their total value

Grant programme

(a) 2010 to 2017

(b) 2017to2023 (to end December 2023)

Regional Academy Growth Fund**

RAGF 2016-2017 2 trusts each with 1 school in Chelmsford*

N/A

Multi-academy Trust Development and Improvement Fund**

N/A*

2 trusts, one with 2 schools and 1 with 1 school in Chelmsford*

Trust Capacity Fund **

N/A*

1 trust with 2 schools in Chelmsford*

Strategic School Improvement Capital Budget

N/A* 2010-2017
None – 2016-17

None

Environmental Improvement Grant

None for 2016-17.
Records not available prior to 2016-17.

None

Emergency Strategic Improvement Fund

N/A as fund started in 2017-18

None

Sponsored conversions to academy status

3 academies, totalling £210,000

None

Transfer of an academy

None

None

School Improvement Offer

N/A*

1 school, totalling £1,800

Trust and School Improvement offer

N/A*

4 schools, totalling £16,800

* Grant programme not operating during this period.

** The RAGF, MDIF, and TCAF funds support growth in the capacity of academy trusts to oversee academies. Funding is allocated to trusts, and available data only reflects the total amounts received at the trust level. We are unable to attribute specific portions of the funding awarded under the RAGF, MDIF or TCaF programmes to individual school improvement efforts within any given trust or locality.

Table 2: Value of school improvement grants awarded where it is possible to identify a value attributable to the Chelmsford constituency.

Name of school or trust

Grant name

Year funding allocated or first payment made

Amount paid or allocated

Melbourne Park Primary and Nursery School

Pre-opening sponsored grant

2014

£70,000

Meadgate Primary School

Pre-opening sponsored grant

2013

£70,000

Larkrise Primary School

Pre-opening sponsored grant

2016

£70,000

Newlands Spring Primary School

School Improvement Offer Tier 1

2019

£1,800

South Essex Academy Trust

Trust and School Improvement Offer

2022

£3,000

Bridge Academy Trust

Trust and School Improvement Offer

2022

£1,800

The Chelmsford Learning Partnership

Trust and School Improvement Offer

2023

£6,000

Attain Academy Partnership

Trust and School Improvement Offer

2023

£6,000


Written Question
Higher Education
Friday 1st December 2023

Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with refence to her Department's press release entitled Crackdown on rip-off university degrees, published on 17 July 2023, on which degree courses she plans to increase controls.

Answered by Robert Halfon

The department wants to ensure that all students, regardless of their background, benefit from high quality, world-leading higher education (HE) that leads to excellent outcomes.

The Office for Students (OfS) has responsibility for monitoring quality and standards and acting where there is a breach of its conditions of registration. The OfS registration condition B3 sets minimum requirements for student outcomes, including course continuation, completion and progression onto graduate employment or further study.

Where courses perform below these thresholds, the providers could face investigation, enabling the OfS to understand the reasons for their performance. If a HE provider is found to be in breach of regulatory requirements, the OfS has the power to intervene and impose sanctions.

To date, the OfS has undertaken 18 investigations in relation to student outcomes (B3) performance. The OfS will publish the outcomes of those investigations in due course and will make decisions about whether regulatory action is appropriate. The department expects the OfS to take decisive action where there has been a clear breach of B3, including, where appropriate, through the use of recruitment limits. Recruitment limits will prevent the growth of courses that do not meet minimum expectations for student outcomes, where there is no justifiable explanation for them failing to do so.

Other sanctions available to the OfS include issuing a specific ongoing condition of registration requiring an improvement in performance, financial penalties and ultimately the suspension or removal of the HE provider from the register (and with it, access to student finance).



Written Question
Charities: Lotteries
Monday 20th November 2023

Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 23 October 2023 to Question 203179 on People's Postcode Lottery, if she will publish a consultation on removing the charity lottery annual sales limits.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

As set out in the response to WPQ 203179, the annual sales limits for society lotteries were reviewed 12 months after the reforms were implemented in 2020. The review concluded it was too soon to reach any firm view on the impact of the reforms, and that more data on the growth of the sector was needed before considering any further changes. I therefore have no current plans for a consultation.

My officials and I will continue working with the Gambling Commission, as part of its regulatory role, to keep the sector under review.


Written Question
Students: Loans
Thursday 16th November 2023

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider the potential merits of introducing a minimum requirement to qualify for student loans of (a) grades EEE at A-level and (b) equivalent grades at (i) T-level and (ii) Level 3 Diploma.

Answered by Robert Halfon

The government consulted on whether there was a case, in principle, for a Minimum Eligibility Requirement for access to student finance for degree-level study. In the Higher Education (HE) Reform policy statement of 17 July, the department made an announcement to not proceed with such a requirement at this time.

The government is delivering on its manifesto commitment to drive up quality and tackle pockets of poor provision in the HE sector. The department has worked with the Office for Students (OfS) to set stringent minimum thresholds for student outcomes and the OfS has introduced face to face investigations where there is a risk of breach of these expectations.

The department wants to see recruitment limits used to reduce the growth of low-quality courses, and graduate earnings to be part of the quality regime, so that students can be confident in the quality of the course that they have chosen.


Written Question
Charities: Lotteries
Friday 20th October 2023

Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of removing the cap on charity lottery sales.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises the importance of society lotteries as a fundraising tool for charities and other organisations. Society lotteries are a vital source of funds for these organisations, raising over £400 million a year.

In 2020, we legislated to raise the annual sales limit for large society lotteries from £10 million to £50 million. Each organisation with a society lottery licence is therefore able to sell up to £50 million of tickets per year. Most society lottery operators have sales well within this annual limit, meaning there is plenty of scope for them to continue to grow.

The limits were reviewed 12 months after the reforms implemented in 2020, which concluded it was too soon to reach any firm view on its impact, and that more data on the growth of the sector is needed before considering any further changes.


Written Question
Charities: Lotteries
Tuesday 21st February 2023

Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to hold further consultations on charity lottery limits; and when they will be held.

Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Society lottery limits were last increased as part of a wider package of reforms in 2020. These reforms were reviewed 12 months after they were implemented. The results of the review were published in March 2022, and can be accessed on the gov.uk website. The review concluded that it was too soon to reach any firm view on the impact of the changes, especially during a time when the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic made evaluation more difficult, and that more data on annual growth of the sector were required before considering any further changes. Officials continue to work with the Gambling Commission, as part of its regulatory role, to keep the sector under review.