Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Cost of Living: Government Support for Schools and Parents

Monday 28 November 2022 · 4 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government secured funding to increase the schools budget by 2 billion for next year and the following year.
  • All education settings benefit from the energy bill relief scheme to protect them from high energy bills over winter.
  • The Healthy Start scheme delivers healthy foods and milk to eligible families, with a 300 million investment in family hubs.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Grahame Morris Lab Easington
Education Economy
Context

Schools face challenges due to increased costs, impacting their operations and services. Grahame Morris highlights issues such as reduced school days and transport cutbacks.

Question

I am concerned about the support being provided to help (a) schools and (b) parents with the cost of living. Due to runaway costs, schools can barely stay open five days a week and home-to-school transport is being pared back. Can you give us some good news and tell me what steps are being taken to ensure that schools can afford their heating bills and remain open? How will access to education be guaranteed during the cost of living crisis?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

We have secured funding to increase the schools budget by £2 billion next year and the year after. All education settings benefit from the energy bill relief scheme, which protects them from high energy bills over winter. The core schools budget is at an historic high of £58.8 billion, providing significant additional support to pupils and teachers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about heating costs was addressed but the questioner's concern about school closures and transport issues were not directly answered with concrete measures.

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Q2 Grahame Morris Lab Easington
Education Economy
Context

The question follows up on the initial inquiry about additional funding and seeks more specific measures to help schools stay open despite financial pressures.

Question

I welcome the Education Secretary. I thank her for the response, but due to runaway costs, schools can barely stay open five days a week and transport is being cut back. Can you give us some good news and tell me what steps are being taken to ensure that schools can afford their heating bills and remain open? How will access to education be guaranteed during this cost of living crisis?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

We have secured funding to increase the schools budget by £2 billion next year and the year after. All education settings benefit from the energy bill relief scheme, which protects them from high energy bills over winter. The core schools budget is at an historic high of £58.8 billion, providing significant additional support to pupils and teachers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about heating costs was addressed but the questioner's concern about school closures and transport issues were not directly answered with concrete measures.

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Q3 Andrew Bridgen Con
NHS
Context

The Healthy Start scheme aims to provide healthy foods and milk for pregnant women and young children. The question asks about steps being taken to promote the scheme and ensure families receive vouchers.

Question

What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to promote the Government's Healthy Start scheme, and to ensure that eligible families receive the vouchers to which they are entitled?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

The Healthy Start scheme delivers healthy foods and milk for women over 10 weeks' pregnant or anyone with a child under four. We are working on it with the Department of Health and Social Care, and investing £300 million in family hubs to complement other schemes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about promoting the scheme was not directly answered with concrete measures beyond mentioning work with the DoHSC. The investment in Start for Life family hubs is mentioned but does not fully address voucher distribution promotion.

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Q4 Carol Monaghan SNP
Education Children & Families
Context

The question addresses the lack of free school meal expansion and asks for support to replicate Scotland's universal free school meals policy.

Question

I welcome the Secretary of State to her new position. It is deplorable that free school meals were not expanded in the autumn statement, affecting at least 100,000 schoolchildren in poverty. Will the Secretary of State urge the Chancellor to replicate Scotland's universal free school meals for all primary children?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

We have spent more than £1.6 billion per year on nutritious meals during school days and holidays, expanding free school meals more than any other Government recently. Families retain their eligibility under universal credit, with a third of children now receiving free school meals.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about urging the Chancellor to expand free school meals was not directly addressed. Instead, general improvements in the programme were stated without committing to expansion like Scotland's policy.

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