Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of local authorities which (a) do not have sufficient childcare places in their area for children aged between 0 and 3 years old and (b) do not hold data on sufficiency for this age group.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the Early Education and Childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.
The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing.
Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
The department monitors take up of the early years entitlements through the annual census and publishes the results at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5.
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, sets out how an effective single national SEND and AP system will be delivered. Many of the proposals in the improvement plan will include early years education, including the funding we are providing to train up to 5,000 early years Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinators (SENCOs) to gain an accredited Level 3 Early Years SENCO qualification.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of local authorities which do not have sufficient childcare places in their area for children aged between 0 and 5 years old.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the Early Education and Childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.
The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing.
Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
The department monitors take up of the early years entitlements through the annual census and publishes the results at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5.
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, sets out how an effective single national SEND and AP system will be delivered. Many of the proposals in the improvement plan will include early years education, including the funding we are providing to train up to 5,000 early years Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinators (SENCOs) to gain an accredited Level 3 Early Years SENCO qualification.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of local authorities which do not have sufficient childcare place sin their area for children with disabilities aged between 0 and 17 years old.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the Early Education and Childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.
The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing.
Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
The department monitors take up of the early years entitlements through the annual census and publishes the results at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5.
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, sets out how an effective single national SEND and AP system will be delivered. Many of the proposals in the improvement plan will include early years education, including the funding we are providing to train up to 5,000 early years Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinators (SENCOs) to gain an accredited Level 3 Early Years SENCO qualification.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of local authorities which do not have sufficient childcare places in their area for children aged between 0 and 14.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the Early Education and Childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.
The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing.
Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
The department monitors take up of the early years entitlements through the annual census and publishes the results at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5.
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, sets out how an effective single national SEND and AP system will be delivered. Many of the proposals in the improvement plan will include early years education, including the funding we are providing to train up to 5,000 early years Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinators (SENCOs) to gain an accredited Level 3 Early Years SENCO qualification.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she will take steps to ensure that claimants under the Post Office (a) historical shortfall scheme and (b) suspension remuneration review will receive a similar tax exemption to that available to group litigation order compensation scheme claimants through the Post Office Horizon Compensation and Infected Blood Interim Compensation Payment Schemes (Tax Exemptions and Relief) Regulations 2023.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake
The Historical Shortfall Scheme’s intention is to ensure all victims of the Horizon scandal are returned to the financial position they would have been in had the wrongdoings not occurred.
An issue has been identified on the tax treatment of some postmasters with claims for loss of earnings under the HSS, particularly those with larger claims, where postmasters may be pushed into a higher tax bracket due to receiving compensation in a lump sum as opposed to receiving those earnings over several tax years. The Department for Business and Trade wants to see fair compensation for all victims and is working urgently to address this issue with the Post Office, HMT and HMRC.
The Department for Business and Trade is aiming to ensure that tax treatment is fair across all schemes, including the Suspension Remuneration Review.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) what arrangements her Department has in place to help ensure that hospital trusts who have entered PFI contracts for buildings remain able to afford interest payments on those contracts and (b) what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of those arrangements in the context of rising inflation and interest rates.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department and NHS England are in regular discussions with National Health Service trusts over their financial affairs and this would include the impact of inflation on trusts’ contracts.
This Government has taken decisive action in response to the inflationary pressures on the NHS. On top of the additional funding of £3.3 billion from the 2022 Autumn Statement in each of the next two years NHS England has provided an additional £1.5 billion in funding to the NHS in 2022/23. This has been added to system allocations and is covering a range of pressures reported by systems including energy costs, higher costs of consumables, and the cost of PFI contracts that are tied to the retail price index.
The payments due under NHS PFI contracts are not subject to changes in interest rates. In 2023/24 the funding issued to the NHS, and reflected in the NHS payment scheme cost uplift factor, takes account of inflationary pressures in 2022/23 as well as further growth to account for expected non-pay inflation and energy price increases in 2023/24.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government is taking to protect leaseholders from charges arising from (a) external wall reviews and (b) other professional services related to a relevant defect that had not previously been formally identified.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Where the defects identified from external wall reviews, and other professional services, fall under the classification of 'relevant defects', then the charges arising from such reviews and services will be covered by the leaseholder protections under the Building Safety Act 2022 and will count towards the capped costs qualifying leaseholders would pay if the building owner is not liable for all costs.
Where developers or building owners are not currently funding cladding remediation, and where recommended by a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Wall construction (FRAEW), the Building Safety Fund will fund eligible remedial work directly related to addressing life safety fire risks associated with cladding for high-rise residential buildings. The costs of an FRAEW will be reimbursed to the applicant if it meets the Building Safety Fund's eligibility requirements.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, (a) what arrangements her Department has in place to help ensure that schools and mulit-academy trusts who have entered PFI contracts for school buildings remain able to afford interest payments on those contracts and (b) what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of those arrangements in the context of rising inflation and interest rates.
Answered by Nick Gibb
All private finance initiative (PFI) schools contracts have been entered into by either local authorities or the Secretary of State for Education. PFI schools contracts include an interest rate hedge which is agreed at the point of contract signature to secure a fixed rate of borrowing until contract expiry. This means that the payments made to the PFI contractor do not fluctuate as interest rates change.
An element of the payment owing to PFI contractors is typically index linked but the impact of rising inflation is not an issue that is unique to PFI contracts.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2023 to Question 151284 on Flexible Support Fund: Universal Credit, on how many occasions in each of the last five years have Work Coaches awarded that funding; and what the value of the funding awarded was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Information relating to the volume of awards from the Flexible Support Fund is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Information relating to expenditure on the Flexible Support Fund for the last 5 audited years is available within the answers provided to PQ 155126 & PQ 155127.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Retained EU Law Bill, whether he plans to (a) revoke (b) retain or (c) replace the Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts by Children in Front Seats) Regulations 1993.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Individual departments are in the process of assessing their REUL and developing proposals for whether they intend to revoke or reform each piece of legislation or preserve it from the sunset.
In respect to the use of seat belts, the legislation underpinning their use is an essential element of our law and has a positive impact on reducing fatal and serious injury on our roads. As such, we do not have any plans to change the requirements for drivers and passengers to wear seat belts.