Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Social Mobility

Wednesday 25 November 2020 · 6 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 4 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government focuses on levelling up and transforming the skills system to provide training and retraining opportunities for everyone.
  • Government plans to use new data analysis to address real inequalities and ensure success for children from all backgrounds.
  • Digital skills boot camps are being established to open up future job opportunities in all communities, particularly addressing low take-up among girls in computing.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alexander Stafford
Education Economy Employment
Context

The MP is concerned about promoting social mobility across the entire country.

Question

What steps are being taken to promote social mobility throughout the UK?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

This Government are focused on levelling up. We are transforming our skills system so that everybody has a chance to train and retrain, and we are using important new data analysis from the Equality Hub to ensure that we are addressing where real inequality lies in the UK.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps not detailed

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Q2 David Evennett Con
Women & Equalities Children & Families
Context

The MP wants to ensure that white working class children receive adequate attention regarding their unique challenges.

Question

What assessment has been made of the needs of groups such as white working class children whose challenges have not had enough attention?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

White British children who receive free school meals perform worse at GCSE than equivalent black and Asian children. We need to ensure that children from all backgrounds are succeeding in modern Britain, and that is going to be a major focus for the Equality Department, working with the Department for Education.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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Q3 Miriam Cates
Education Employment Science & Technology
Context

The MP is concerned about spreading opportunities through digital skills training, particularly in her constituency.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the digital skills boot camps being established across the country are vital to opening up jobs of the future to people in all communities?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

Digital skills are vital in the modern economy. We know that take-up is particularly low among girls in areas such as computing, and that is why the digital skills boot camps are vital. They are being rolled out across the country in spring 2021.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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Q4 Christian Wakeford Lab Bury South
Education
Context

The MP highlights the importance of the lifetime skills guarantee for opportunities in left behind areas.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the lifetime skills guarantee is a landmark achievement in opening up opportunity for all, especially in left behind communities?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

My hon. Friend is absolutely right; too many people have been let down in the past by poor education. We want to make that right, through the lifetime skills guarantee, making sure that there is an entitlement to level 3 qualifications and access to four years of loan funding.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps not detailed

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Q5 Holly Mumby-Croft
Education Children & Families
Context

The MP emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and support for dyslexia in education.

Question

What steps are being taken to ensure that those who learn differently due to dyslexia receive crucial early diagnosis and support?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

In early years 25% of children with special educational needs achieved a good level of development in 2019, which compares with a figure of only 14% in 2013. We continue to do more to make sure that children with special educational needs have access to a good education.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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Q6 Alexander Stafford
Employment Children & Families
Context

The MP is concerned about supporting mothers in their return to work during the recovery period.

Question

What steps are being taken to ensure that mothers are supported in the return to work during this recovery?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

It is very important that working mothers and fathers have access to childcare. That is why it is so important that we keep our schools and nurseries open, and continue to give the support of 30 hours a week of childcare for three and four-year-olds.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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