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3,240 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChildcareI thank my noble friend for his question. I too have seen those reports, although our understanding in the department is that the vast majority of providers behave extremely…22 Jan 2024HANSARDReligious Education in SchoolsMy Lords, I congratulate the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Harries of Pentregarth, on securing this important debate on religious education and in true “Thought for the Day”…18 Jan 2024HANSARDCoram’s Charter for ChildrenI thank my noble friend for his question. Of course, he is right about the number of closures, but overall, the workforce has increased by 4% in the last year. My noble friend…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCoram’s Charter for ChildrenI do not fully recognise the figures that the noble Baroness refers to. As she knows, we have been adjusting school funding to try to move towards a national funding formula. We…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCoram’s Charter for ChildrenThere are multiple things that will have effects on gangs, but clearly the engagement of young people is very important, as the noble and learned Baroness suggests. That is why we…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCoram’s Charter for ChildrenThe Government absolutely accept that Covid in particular had a marked effect on our children, but we already have a Cabinet-level Minister for children—the Secretary of State for…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCoram’s Charter for ChildrenI remind the noble Baroness that this Government have extended school meal eligibility more than any other, including through universal infant free school meals and for families…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCoram’s Charter for ChildrenMy Lords, we welcome the publication of Coram’s Charter for Children and are grateful for its work in supporting children, young people and families. All children need love and…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCoram’s Charter for ChildrenI would slightly reframe the noble Lord’s first assertion. There has been a redirection of resources to increasingly complex cases in child protection and a displacement of…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCoram’s Charter for ChildrenThe department is of course happy not only to look at the ability to provide meals in the way that the noble Baroness set out but to see their impact. A core principle of this…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCoram’s Charter for ChildrenI would be delighted to meet the noble Baroness and the team from Coram. I put on record our thanks to them for all the work that they do.16 Jan 2024HANSARDCoram’s Charter for ChildrenWe understand that local authorities are under significant financial pressure. That is why we have committed to major reform in relation to children’s social care, focusing…16 Jan 2024HANSARDHome and Online SchoolingI do not want to say that every single child has a named place, as children can move around and there can be a time lag, but obviously it is the right of every child in this…19 Dec 2023HANSARDHome and Online SchoolingThe department is working closely with schools, particularly around persistent absence and severe absence. Persistent absence is when a child is missing 10% or more of their…19 Dec 2023HANSARDHome and Online SchoolingI share many of the noble Baroness’s concerns. On her first point, we believe there are three main reasons why parents might decide to educate their children at home. The first is…19 Dec 2023HANSARDHome and Online SchoolingI do not disagree that the aftermath of Covid has impacted not just home education but perhaps more particularly the wider issues that we have debated in your Lordships’ House…19 Dec 2023HANSARDHome and Online SchoolingMy Lords, we are aware that the number of home-educated children has been rising for several years. While the rise in itself is not an inherent safeguarding concern, the view of…19 Dec 2023HANSARDHome and Online SchoolingI think we have to be slightly careful about the use of the numbers. The noble Lord talked about “literally hundreds of thousands of children” missing their education. That is…19 Dec 2023HANSARDHome and Online SchoolingObviously I cannot comment on the timing of a Private Member’s Bill. On the very valid points raised by the noble Baroness about the inspection regime, that is one of the things…19 Dec 2023HANSARDHome and Online SchoolingMy noble friend will be aware that government legislation was not in the King’s Speech, but the Government remain committed to introducing statutory local authority registers for…19 Dec 2023