Contributions
3,240 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDReform of Children’s Social CareI share the noble Baroness’s desire that everything should be done as quickly as is humanly possible. I hope she would agree, though, that the Government are sending a very strong…08 Feb 2023HANSARDReform of Children’s Social CareI mentioned earlier that we are keen to establish and clarify, as your Lordships and my noble friend have highlighted this afternoon, that there is variability of response,…08 Feb 2023HANSARDReform of Children’s Social CareOn funding, I have made the point that we are talking about a two-year programme in selected areas, not five years nationally. The reason for that choice is that we believe it is…08 Feb 2023HANSARDSchool Buildings: Risk of CollapsingIn some cases it will be the right thing to do, but there are definitely examples of RAAC that has been properly maintained and does not pose a risk. We are endeavouring to…07 Feb 2023HANSARDSchool Buildings: Risk of CollapsingThe right reverend Prelate raises a very important issue, on which we wrote proactively to all schools last year. I followed that up in the autumn with a letter asking them to…07 Feb 2023HANSARDSchool Buildings: Risk of CollapsingI am not sure but I think the noble Lord used the word “complacency”. We are far from complacent. There are elements of the school estate that require further exploration. For…07 Feb 2023HANSARDSchool Buildings: Risk of CollapsingI thank my noble friend for her question; I hope I heard it okay. The department works very closely with responsible bodies—academy trusts and local authorities—in managing the…07 Feb 2023HANSARDSchool Buildings: Risk of CollapsingI am more than happy to write to the noble Lord with the details of where those portakabins are. We do have a programme for replacing them and, more broadly, schools that are in…07 Feb 2023HANSARDSchool Buildings: Risk of CollapsingMy noble friend asked about some very detailed aspects in that question, and I am happy to respond to her in writing. The department has regular exercises through which we test…07 Feb 2023HANSARDSchool Buildings: Risk of CollapsingThe Government do not have anything to hide: they have been proactive in reaching out to schools and engaging with them to understand the condition need of the school estate and…07 Feb 2023HANSARDSchool Buildings: Risk of CollapsingMy Lords, safe, well-maintained school buildings are a priority for the Government. We have allocated over £13 billion since 2015, including £1.8 billion this year, to keep…07 Feb 2023HANSARDChildren: Bereavement Support in SchoolsI do not think we would want to be prescriptive about peripatetic teams. The point the noble Baroness makes is that schools need to be aware of what resources are available in…06 Feb 2023HANSARDChildren: Bereavement Support in SchoolsMy Lords, losing a loved one is a devastating loss for any child. Schools can play an essential role in supporting a pupil through grief and preventing longer-term emotional…06 Feb 2023HANSARDChildren: Bereavement Support in SchoolsThe noble Baroness will be aware that there is a cross-government bereavement working group. This issue, as the noble Baroness understands well, cuts across both education and…06 Feb 2023HANSARDChildren: Bereavement Support in SchoolsI do not have the breakdown that the noble Baroness refers to. She referred to the 2020 return programme, which was followed by the recovery programme in 2021. Looking at those…06 Feb 2023HANSARDChildren: Bereavement Support in SchoolsMy noble friend is spot on and has probably put the Government’s position rather more eloquently than I have. It is critical that the school creates a culture where children feel…06 Feb 2023HANSARDChildren: Bereavement Support in SchoolsI hear what the noble Lord says. I am slightly surprised, because I think there has been a real focus by Ofsted on safeguarding in its broadest sense and the important pastoral…06 Feb 2023HANSARDChildren: Bereavement Support in SchoolsI thank the right reverend Prelate for the invitation; I would be delighted to meet with them.06 Feb 2023HANSARDChildren: Bereavement Support in SchoolsThe noble Baroness makes a good point. Indeed, in thinking about this, I was also thinking about situations which affect the whole class—for example, where a member of the class…06 Feb 2023HANSARDChildren: Bereavement Support in SchoolsI am happy to share with my noble friend in a letter more detail of the training, but it is something the department takes extremely seriously.06 Feb 2023