Damian Hinds MP: written questions 2024

190 published records · newest first.

Written questions

  • Free School MealsDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5998More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children who will be eligible for free school meals in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

    Answer: The department monitors free school meals take up, including through the annual publication of data, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.The department does n...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Holiday Activities and Food Programme: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5997More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of maintaining real-terms levels of funding for the Holiday Activities and Food programme in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial years.

    Answer: All 153 local authorities in England have been delivering the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme in the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays. The future of the HAF programme beyond 31 March 2025 is subject to the next government Spending Review ...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Breakfast Clubs: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5996More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's projected spending is on breakfast club programmes for secondary schools in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

    Answer: The department will be spending up to £11 million on the National School Breakfast Programme in 2024/25.The government has already taken decisive action by announcing in the King’s Speech that, under the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, every state funded schoo...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Breakfast Clubs: ExpenditureDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5995More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department’s spending on breakfast club programmes was for (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) in total in 2023-24.

    Answer: In 2023/2024, the department’s spending on the National School Breakfast Programme was a total of £7,819,102. Primary school total spending was £5,242,446 and secondary school total spending was £2,166,983. This is excluding special schools.

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Breakfast Clubs: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5994More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her planned spending on the expansion of school breakfast clubs is contingent on the amount of revenue raised from fiscal measures targeted on people with non-domiciled status.

    Answer: Matters of taxation are for my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Chancellor has announced a Budget on 30 October to be followed by a multi-year Spending Review in the spring of next year. Decisions about future spending will be subje...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Armed Forces: Private EducationMinistry of DefenceTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5993More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received on the potential impact of applying VAT to independent school fees on the families of military service personnel.

    Answer: At the time of writing, the Ministry of Defence has received 45 letters or emails from Members of Parliament and members of the public on this issue. There have been other additional informal approaches which have not been logged centrally.

    Answered 28 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Armed Forces: Private EducationMinistry of DefenceTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5992More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many children of military service personnel are educated in independent schools under the Continuity of Education Allowance programme, by region.

    Answer: The Ministry of Defence does not hold data on region or type of school for those Service personnel who claim Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA); however, I can confirm that 2,678 Service personnel claimed CEA for 4,021 Service children in Academic Ye...

    Answered 16 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Private Education: VATTreasuryTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5991More

    Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the annual cost to HM Revenue and Customs of reimbursing VAT to local councils for pupils with education, health and care (EHC) plans.

    Answer: On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent. This will also apply to boardin...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Private Education: VATTreasuryTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5990More

    Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 4.7 of her Department's Technical Note entitled Applying VAT to Private School Fees and Removing the Business Rates Charitable Rates Relief for Private Schools, published in July 2024, on

    Answer: Following scrutiny of the Government’s costing by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, details of the Government’s assessment of the expected impacts of the removal of charitable rates relief from private schools in England will be published ...

    Answered 11 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Private Education: VATTreasuryTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5989More

    Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has received legal advice on the compatibility of plans to charge VAT on independent school fees with Articles (a) 2 and (b) 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

    Answer: On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent. This will also apply to boardin...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Teachers: RecruitmentDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5988More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 July 2024 to Question 887 on Teachers: Recruitment, whether the 6,500 target for new expert teachers relates only to new entrants to the profession.

    Answer: The within-school and -college factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s outcomes is high quality teaching. Although overall teacher numbers in state-funded schools in England have increased from 453,820 full-time equivalent (FTE) in November ...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Teachers: RecruitmentDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5987More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 July 2024 to Question 887 on Teachers: Recruitment, what her deadline is for achieving the 6,500 target for new expert teachers.

    Answer: The within-school and -college factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s outcomes is high quality teaching. Although overall teacher numbers in state-funded schools in England have increased from 453,820 full-time equivalent (FTE) in November ...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Teachers: RecruitmentDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5986More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 July 2024 to Question 887 on Teachers: Recruitment, which subjects are included in the 6,500 target for new expert teachers.

    Answer: The within-school and -college factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s outcomes is high quality teaching. Although overall teacher numbers in state-funded schools in England have increased from 453,820 full-time equivalent (FTE) in November ...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Teachers: RecruitmentDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5985More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 July 2024 to Question 887 on Teachers: Recruitment, which phases of education count towards the 6,500 target of new expert teachers.

    Answer: The within-school and -college factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s outcomes is high quality teaching. Although overall teacher numbers in state-funded schools in England have increased from 453,820 full-time equivalent (FTE) in November ...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • TeachersDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5984More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time equivalent teachers (a) there were in 2019, (b) there are in 2024 and (c) she plans to have in post by 2029.

    Answer: The within-school and -college factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s outcomes is high quality teaching. Although overall teacher numbers in state-funded schools in England have increased from 453,820 full-time equivalent (FTE) in November ...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Breakfast Clubs: DisadvantagedDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5983More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of pupils in bands A-F of the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index that attend schools (a) eligible for and (b) participating in the national school breakfa

    Answer: The National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP) currently supports up to 2,700 participating schools in disadvantaged areas. Around 80% of pupils living in Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) A to F areas attend a school eligible for the NS...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Breakfast Clubs: DisadvantagedDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5982More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of (a) primary, (b) secondary, (c) special schools and (d) alternative provision with 40% or more pupils in bands A-F of the income deprivation affecting children index took up the

    Answer: The National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP) currently supports up to 2,700 participating schools in disadvantaged areas, meaning that thousands of children from low-income families are being offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their at...

    Answered 23 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Children: FoodDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5981More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of her Department's spending on (a) activities and (b) provision of food during school holidays in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2023-24.

    Answer: All 153 local authorities are participating in the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme supported by over £200 million a year. The HAF programme provides free childcare places, enriching activities and heathy meals to children from low-income famil...

    Answered 17 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Free School Meals: ExpenditureDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5980More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the total amount of public funding for free school meals in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2023-24.

    Answer: Local authorities receive their core funding for schools through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). Since 2018/19, the DSG allocations have been calculated based on the national funding formula (NFF). The schools NFF includes a ’free school meal (FSM) fac...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Breakfast Clubs: ExpenditureDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5979More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the total amount of public funding for school breakfast clubs in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2023-24

    Answer: There are 2,700 schools participating in the National Schools Breakfast Programme. In 2023/24, £12 million was made available to fund the National Breakfast Club Programme. This government will now go further to ensure that every primary school age child ...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Breakfast ClubsDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5978More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of primary and secondary schools which (a) were offering a free breakfast club at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year and (b) are projected to be offering a free brea

    Answer: To date, the department has not regularly collected data on the total number of schools that operate breakfast clubs, and, as a result, the department is unable to project the anticipated numbers for this academic year.The National School Breakfast Club P...

    Answered 17 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Schools: AdmissionsDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5977More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, to which English parliamentary constituencies each Secondary Planning Area relates.

    Answer: Information on Secondary Planning Areas as of May 2023 is published at school level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication. This can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity. Secon...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Private Education: TaxationTreasuryTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5976More

    Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2024 to Question 2809 on Private Education: Taxation, whether the tax information and impact note will include an assessment of the potential impact of this policy on different

    Answer: On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent. This will also apply to boardin...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Private Education: TaxationTreasuryTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5975More

    Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue to the Exchequer was raised from (a) VAT, (b) business rates, (c) employer contributions to the teachers' pension scheme and (d) any other source paid by the independent school sector in the 2023-24

    Answer: On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent. This will also apply to boardin...

    Answered 14 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record
  • Private Education: Fees and ChargesTreasuryTabled 11 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5276More

    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 a (a) reasonable worst case scenario and (b) central plann

    Answer: On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent. This will also apply to boardin...

    Answered 7 Oct 2024

    Original Parliament record

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