Damian Hinds MP: written questions 2024
190 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Schools: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12062More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the change in the core schools budget will be for (a) 2025-6, (b) 2026-7 and (c) 2027-8 (i) in total and (ii) per pupil.
Answer: Funding for schools and young people with high needs is set to increase by £2.3 billion in 2025/26 compared to 2024/25, bringing the total core schools budget to almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26. The department will confirm per pupil increases for schools ...
Answered 7 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordBreakfast Clubs: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12044More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 4.11 of the Autumn Budget 2024, how she plans to allocate the funding for free breakfast clubs between (a) mainstream primary schools, (b) mainstream secondary schools, (c) special s
Answer: The government confirmed it will triple its investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million in the 2025/26 financial year to help ensure children are ready to learn at the start of the school day and help drive improvements to behaviour, attendance and ...
Answered 7 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordBreakfast Clubs: Primary EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12043More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 4.11 of the Autumn Budget 2024, whether she plans to fund breakfasts in all primary schools.
Answer: The government confirmed it will triple its investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million in the 2025/26 financial year to help ensure children are ready to learn at the start of the school day and help drive improvements to behaviour, attendance and ...
Answered 7 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATDepartment for EducationTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12042More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to monitor the potential impact of VAT on independent schools on pupil numbers in those schools.
Answer: The government predicts that there will be 37,000 fewer pupils in the private education sector in the UK as a result of the VAT on private schools fees policy, which takes effect from January 2025. This represents around 6% of the current private school p...
Answered 7 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATDepartment for EducationTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12041More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to HMRC's policy paper entitled Applying VAT to private school fees, published on 30 October 2024, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential range of t
Answer: The government predicts that there will be 37,000 fewer pupils in the private education sector in the UK as a result of the VAT on private schools fees policy, which takes effect from January 2025. This represents around 6% of the current private school p...
Answered 7 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATDepartment for EducationTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12040More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the policy paper entitled Applying VAT to private school fees, published on 30 October 2024, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of the ex
Answer: The government predicts that there will be 37,000 fewer pupils in the private education sector in the UK as a result of the VAT on private schools fees policy, which takes effect from January 2025. This represents around 6% of the current private school p...
Answered 7 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATTreasuryTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12039More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2024 to Question 10422 on Private Education: VAT, if she make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of VAT reclaimed by independent schools for capital spending for items u
Answer: The government published its response to the VAT on private school fees technical note at the Autumn Budget. This can be found online here: Government_Response_to_the_Technical_Note_on_Applying_VAT_to_Private_School_Fees_and_Removing_the_Business_Rates_Ch...
Answered 7 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATDepartment for EducationTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12038More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the policy paper entitled Applying VAT to private school fees, published on 30 October 2024, if she will make an estimate of potential increases in the number of pupils in secondary state educ
Answer: The government predicts that there will be 37,000 fewer pupils in the private education sector in the UK as a result of the VAT on private schools fees policy, which takes effect from January 2025. This represents around 6% of the current private school p...
Answered 7 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATTreasuryTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12037More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HMRC's policy paper entitled Applying VAT to private school fees, published on 30 October 2024, if she will publish detail of the analysis that produced an estimate of 37,000 fewer pupils in indepe
Answer: The government published its response to the VAT on private school fees technical note at the Autumn Budget. This can be found online here: Government_Response_to_the_Technical_Note_on_Applying_VAT_to_Private_School_Fees_and_Removing_the_Business_Rates_Ch...
Answered 7 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordNational School Breakfast ProgrammeDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10687More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that access to free school breakfasts for (a) secondary school pupils, (b) special schools and (c) alternative provision continues after the expiration of the National School Br
Answer: The government is committed to delivering on its pledge of breakfast clubs in every state funded school with primary aged pupils. We have made early progress toward this, including announcing that up to 750 early adopters will be delivering these new brea...
Answered 1 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMusic and Dance SchemeDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10424More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students received funding under the Music and Dance Scheme at each of the (a) eight schools and (b) 20 centres for advanced training in academic year (i) 2023-24 (ii) 2024-25.
Answer: The Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) operates on an academic year basis. Information is available for the number of pupils supported at each provider approximately a year after the end of the academic year, in order to account for in-year starters. The provis...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordMusic and Dance SchemeDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10423More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were supported via the Music and Dance Scheme in academic year (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.
Answer: The Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) operates on an academic year basis. Information is available for the number of pupils supported at each provider approximately a year after the end of the academic year, in order to account for in-year starters. The provis...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATTreasuryTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10422More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2024 to Question 4047 on Private Education: Fees and Charges, whether the Tax Information and Impact Note will include the estimated cost to the public purse of independent scho
Answer: Following scrutiny of the Government’s costing by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, the Government will confirm its approach to these reforms at the Budget on 30 October and set out its assessment of relevant expected impacts in a Tax Info...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATTreasuryTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10421More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HMRC's guidance entitled Charging and reclaiming VAT on goods and services related to private school fees, last updated on 22 October 2024, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to the p
Answer: Following scrutiny of the Government’s costing by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, the Government will confirm its approach to these reforms at the Budget on 30 October and set out its assessment of relevant expected impacts in a Tax Info...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHigher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023Department for EducationTabled 16 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9426More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Written Statement of 26 July 2024 on Higher Education Regulation Update, HCWS26, when she plans to confirm her long term plans for the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.
Answer: This government took the decision to pause the implementation of further parts of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act to ensure that it is workable in practice and that the impacts of the Act on providers, staff, students’ unions and minority gro...
Answered 25 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSupporting Families ProgrammeDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8793More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time equivalent staff will be allocated to the Supporting Families programme in the 2025-26 financial year; and what grades those staff are.
Answer: This government is committed to improving outcomes for children and families, and to continuing to work on the reform agenda of which Early Help and Family help are a part. The Supporting Families programme is funded until March 2025. Any future funding w...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSupporting Families ProgrammeDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8792More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to review and amend the Supporting Families programme.
Answer: The new government is committed to improving outcomes for children and families and to continuing to consider reforms to include Early Help and Family Help.The Supporting Families programme is funded until March 2025. Any future funding will be determined...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSupporting Families ProgrammeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8791More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many full-time equivalent staff were allocated to the Supporting Families Programme in its final full year in her Department; and what grades those staff members were.
Answer: My department allocated 20.6 full time equivalent staff to the Supporting Families Programme in its final full year.The breakdown of those staff by grade was as follows:Table-agreed rolesRoles in scope following HR scoping exercise TotalDD1G62G78.7SEO4HEO...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATTreasuryTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8790More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether summer schools which are operated by (a) an independent school on its own site and (b) a third party on an independent school site will be liable for VAT; and whether the liability is changed if a significan
Answer: The draft legislation set out the definition of private schools within the scope of this policy. This includes Welsh language schools if they provide full-time education for children of compulsory school age and/or full-time education for a fee to 16-19 y...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATTreasuryTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8789More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 August 2024 to Question 1651 on Private Education: VAT, whether independent Welsh language schools will be exempt from VAT.
Answer: The draft legislation set out the definition of private schools within the scope of this policy. This includes Welsh language schools if they provide full-time education for children of compulsory school age and/or full-time education for a fee to 16-19 y...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSchools: AdmissionsDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8422More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of which secondary planning areas will have a ratio of Year 7 pupil numbers forecast to estimated capacity of (a) greater than one, (b) one, (c) at or above 0.97 and below
Answer: Information on school place planning estimates for the 2025/26 academic year, including pupil forecasts and estimated capacity, are published at planning area level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication. This can be accessed here: https://e...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSchools: AdmissionsDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8421More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of which secondary planning areas will have a ratio of pupil numbers forecast to estimated capacity of (a) greater than one, (b) one, (c) at or above 0.97 and below one and
Answer: Information on school place planning estimates for the 2025/26 academic year, including pupil forecasts and estimated capacity, are published at planning area level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication. This can be accessed here: https://e...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSchools: AdmissionsDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8420More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of which primary planning areas will have a ratio of pupil numbers forecast to estimated capacity of (a) greater than one, (b) one, (c) at or above 0.97 and below one and (
Answer: Information on school place planning estimates for the 2025/26 academic year, including pupil forecasts and estimated capacity, are published at planning area level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication. This can be accessed here: https://e...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordFree School MealsDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7416More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to change the eligibility criteria for free school meals.
Answer: The government is driving an agenda of change to break down the barriers of opportunity and to reduce child poverty, working across local and national government to bring about change.Child poverty has increased by 700,000 since 2010, with over four milli...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBreakfast Clubs: Secondary EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7415More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to change the eligibility criteria for funding for secondary school breakfast clubs.
Answer: The National School Breakfast Club Programme (NSPB) currently provides breakfast clubs in up to 2,700 participating schools, including secondary, in disadvantaged areas, supporting pupils’ attainment, wellbeing, and readiness to learn.The department is ma...
Answered 23 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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