Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Topical Questions

Monday 21 July 2025 · 7 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Claire Hazelgrove questioned the Minister about reviewing the school funding formula to ensure adequate education for every child.
  • Ben Obese-Jecty inquired about steps to improve the process for EHCP applications and delivery in Cambridgeshire, to which the Minister invited Conservative cooperation.
  • Laurence Turner requested a meeting with the Minister to discuss issues regarding school and college resources and buildings.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Claire Hazelgrove Lab Filton and Bradley Stoke
Education
Context

South Gloucestershire schools receive the lowest funding per pupil in England due to a funding formula inherited from the previous government.

Question

Those working in our schools do a brilliant job, but they receive the lowest funding per pupil. Does the Minister have plans to review the formula as part of wider work to ensure every child receives the education they need?

Answer from Catherine McKinnell

We recognise that schools are working incredibly hard. School funding includes factors such as rural or urban nature and pupil numbers; we have discussed declining rolls. We will continue to keep the school funding formula under review carefully to ensure certainty for schools about their funding planning.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to specific adjustments or timeline for a review, instead noted ongoing monitoring without concrete plans or dates

How: Under Review

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Q2 Ben Obese-Jecty Con Huntingdon
Children & Families
Context

Cambridgeshire has one of the worst records for delivering Education, Health and Care Plans within statutory deadlines. Over 99% of SEND tribunals find in favor of parents.

Question

What steps is the Secretary of State taking to improve the process that sees so many applications require a tribunal and to improve delivery of EHCPs in Cambridgeshire?

Answer from Bridget Phillipson

The hon. Gentleman raised serious concerns about reforms for children with SEND. If the Conservative party wants to work on this, I would be very happy. At the moment, all we seem to get is opposition for opposition's sake.

Not addressed: Did not address specific steps or timeline for improvement and instead criticised the Opposition party

How: Opposition For Opposition’S Sake

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Q3 Laurence Turner Lab Birmingham Northfield
Education Children & Families
Context

Victoria college, a specialist further education college in Birmingham, does outstanding work but lacks dedicated capital grant funding.

Question

Will the Minister be so good as to look into the issue and agree to meet me to discuss it further?

Answer from Stephen Morgan

Ensuring that schools and colleges have resources and buildings is a key part of our mission. I will be very happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss these issues further.

Answered
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Q4 Shockat Adam Ind Leicester South
Education
Context

Universities in Leicester are facing significant financial difficulties, including making hundreds of redundancies and shutting down faculties.

Question

What financial commitment is the Department making to secure academic jobs, especially in subjects such as chemistry, humanities, and languages?

Answer from Bridget Phillipson

The hon. Gentleman will appreciate that universities are independent institutions able to make their own decisions about financial management. We have sought to stabilise the higher education sector, which is why we increased tuition fees. Later this year, a post-16 strategy will deal with many of his questions.

Not addressed: Did not provide specific financial commitment or plan and instead noted general efforts without concrete details

How: Independent Institutions

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Q5 Laura Kyrke-Smith Lab Aylesbury
Children & Families
Context

Many parents are facing unacceptable waits for EHCPs, with one parent informed that her son's assessment is unallocated and 789 children ahead.

Question

Can she talk more about her ambitions to support people caught in the horrible waiting game for EHCPs?

Answer from Bridget Phillipson

We are laying foundations with more investment, through both high needs budget and capital. We will improve some of the unacceptable waits parents currently face.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific plans or timelines but noted ongoing efforts without concrete details

How: Laying Foundations

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Q6 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Children & Families
Context

John Hampden school, an infant-only school in Wendover, reports a £109,000 deficit supporting students with significant SEND while awaiting assessments.

Question

Will the Minister look at how the system is working for infant-only schools to make it fairer?

Answer from Catherine McKinnell

We are looking at reforms to the system. We know there are challenges right across the system inherited from previous governments. We will look at every detail and announce reforms in the White Paper in autumn.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to immediate investigation or specific changes but noted ongoing review without concrete plans

How: Looking At Reforms

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Q7 James Frith Lab Bury North
Children & Families
Context

There are significant problems in the current SEN system, and there is a need for urgent reform.

Question

Will the Secretary of State confirm that the legal right to specialist support will remain a core principle as Labour rebuilds this broken system?

Answer from Bridget Phillipson

I confirm that children with SEND have a legal right to additional support. Labour will protect this. We are discussing with families, campaigners, and school leaders to ensure we get the system right—a better system with strengthened support and more timely intervention and early identification of need.

Answered
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