Topical Questions 2025-12-01
2025-12-01
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
Parents are concerned about the removal of SEND funding from local authorities and its source.
The Government have taken responsibility for SEND funding away from local authorities such as the Isle of Wight council, but they cannot explain where the money is coming from. Surely the Secretary of State understands how concerned parents are up and down the country. She can reassure them right now and explain where the money is coming from, or is she, in fact, planning cuts?
I recognise the very real worry that parents across the country have about the system of support for children with SEND, which the hon. Gentleman and the Conservative party left on its knees. He would do well to reassure parents, not to scaremonger. I suggest that he goes away from here, reads the Budget document and what the OBR has to say, and does not listen to those on his Front Bench.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific source of funding for SEND was not addressed directly.
He Would Do Well To Reassure Parents, Not To Scaremonger.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
Archbishop Beck Catholic college in Liverpool Walton has experienced significant funding cuts per pupil and an increase in disadvantaged pupils.
Archbishop Beck Catholic college in my constituency has lost £700 per pupil since 2011, while the number of disadvantaged pupils has risen from 38% to 52%. It is an excellent school with strong leadership, creating great outcomes for pupils. Will the Minister look specifically at the funding calculation for Archbishop Beck and say a little bit about how she is getting resources into deprived areas?
I am really grateful for the work of that school. I set out today the further investment we are putting into schools, including into special educational needs. We are focusing our funding on all schools, but particularly on supporting schools in the most deprived areas.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific situation at Archbishop Beck was not directly addressed.
I Set Out Today The Further Investment We Are Putting Into Schools.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
There is confusion about where £6 billion will be sourced from in the budget deficit.
The right hon. Lady can rail against the forecasts, the Tories, her own leaky Back Benchers and probably, privately, the Treasury all she likes, but the spending review has set departmental budgets for the year in question. There is not £6 billion down the back of the sofa, so unless she can say where else the £6 billion is coming from out of Government resource departmental expenditure limits—clearly, she just failed to do so—it must be coming out of schools or SEND. So let us try again: will she be straight with teachers, parents and her own Back Benchers, and tell us what is being cut? Is it SEND or is it schools?
I do not know whether the right hon. Lady listened to what I just said. It is not coming out of school budgets.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific source of funding for £6 billion was not addressed directly.
It Is Not Coming Out Of School Budgets.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
The Government committed to introducing 1,000 careers advisers but now they will sit within jobcentres.
I understand that the 1,000 careers advisers the Government committed to introduce will now sit within jobcentres. Will the Minister outline how the Department will work with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that improving careers advice in schools remains a priority? Reaching children in primary schools now is incredibly important for promoting the technical career routes that our economy will rely on in future.
I thank my hon. Friend for her question. My noble Friend the Minister for Skills is working across both Departments to ensure that we bring the very important work on careers and early entry to work programmes together across the Government. I have myself seen great collaboration between both Departments in my own constituency. The Government are still committed to improving work experience for children in secondary schools and early careers education as well.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific plan for integrating new roles into existing systems was not detailed.
I Have Myself Seen Great Collaboration Between Both Departments
Response accuracy
Q5
Partial Answer
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Context
The international student levy will raise £445 million from universities, but only 1% of that is allocated to maintenance grants.
We found out last week that the international student levy will raise £445 million from our universities, but only 1% of that will go to the maintenance grants that Ministers have claimed to justify this damaging tax on our universities. Worse still, the flat fee design hits hardest the universities doing the most to serve students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Can the Secretary of State tell us whether more or fewer disadvantaged students will access university as a result of this policy?
We are investing the international student levy into support around skills and access to high-quality further and higher education colleges targeted at students who most need that support in subjects most closely aligned to our industrial strategy and Government priorities. That will make a huge difference to young people from not very well-off backgrounds, allowing them to access university.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific impact on disadvantaged students was not directly addressed.
That Will Make A Huge Difference To Young People From Not Very Well-Off Backgrounds.
Response accuracy
Q6
Partial Answer
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Context
A constituent of Ian Roome has raised concerns about the lack of recognition of a child's education, health and care plan when families are reposted to new areas. This issue is pertinent with the upcoming children’s services White Paper.
Forces families sometimes find that a child’s education, health and care plan is not automatically recognised when they are reposted to a new area, leaving children without provision. With the children’s services White Paper due next year, will the Minister ensure that military children specifically are included and raise the issue of adopting the Ministry of Defence local authority partnership system with local authorities that currently do not use it?
I will look into the points that the hon. Gentleman has raised. It would be very helpful if he could write to me on those issues.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not commit to including military children in the White Paper or encouraging local authorities to adopt the system, only said she will look into it and asked for more details via correspondence.
Response accuracy
Q7
Partial Answer
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Context
Schools in Sir Roger Gale's constituency are struggling with revenue costs related to Special Educational Needs (SEN) pupils, despite the government's capital expenditure promises.
I think I must have missed something in the answers the Secretary of State gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight East (Joe Robertson) and the shadow Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Laura Trott). Schools in my constituency do not have enough money to pay for SEND pupils. It is no good the Secretary of State talking about capital expenditure with more on this and more on that—we need to know where the money is coming from to pay the revenue costs incurred by SEND pupils.
That is why we have put an extra £1 billion into high needs budgets this year. The capital the right hon. Gentleman so casually dismisses is in order to deliver more specialist places for children closer to home, including in mainstream schools. He must surely recognise that the system we have at the moment just is not working; I have heard from too many parents and too many schools that change is needed.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide a clear answer on revenue funding for SEN pupils, instead focused on capital expenditure and overall improvements in the system.
Response accuracy
Q8
Partial Answer
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Context
Derby apprentices are building their futures as they build the future of rail, but persistently low start rates in the east midlands leave many young people missing out on opportunities.
Earlier this year I met brilliant Derby apprentices at Alstom, who are building their futures as they build the future of our rail. However, persistently low start rates in the east midlands have left too many of our young people missing out on the opportunities that apprenticeships give. What steps is the Secretary of State taking so that young people can start the apprenticeships they need?
My hon. Friend himself was an apprentice before entering this place, and he welcomed the Secretary of State to his constituency to open a construction technical excellence college not that long ago. The main thing that I took away from the Budget last week, which is extremely welcome, is that we will fully fund apprenticeships at small and medium-sized enterprises for people aged 16 to 24 from the next academic year, which will do a lot to answer my hon. Friend’s question.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide specific steps for increasing apprentice start rates in the east midlands, instead mentioned general funding measures from the Budget.
Response accuracy
Q9
Partial Answer
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Context
The NSPCC reported that in 2022-23, around 9,000 sexual abuse offences involved an online element, highlighting the need for improved child protection measures.
The NSPCC revealed that in 2022-23 some 9,000 sexual abuse offences recorded by police involved an online element. What has been done in schools to improve children’s safety online and ensure necessary changes are implemented immediately?
Strengthening our child protection system is a key priority for this Government. Very soon we will bring forward plans for the child protection authority. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill contains a number of measures that would make a big difference to the safety of children across the UK, although those measures are unfortunately being blocked and frustrated by colleagues in other corners of this House.
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Assessment & feedback
Specific details on immediate changes in schools were not provided; only general references to upcoming plans and bills were given.
Response accuracy