Contributions
3,240 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTimes Education Commission ReportMy Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Lexden for securing this important debate, all Members of your Lordships’ House who were involved in the Times Education Commission and the…13 Oct 2022HANSARDChildren in CareI think more money rather than more words. We have supported local authorities to meet their statutory duties through capital investment totalling £259 million, which will allow…12 Oct 2022HANSARDChildren in CareI think we have to be careful about too much of a causal link between poverty and a child being taken into care, although I accept that poverty puts a great deal of strain on a…12 Oct 2022HANSARDChildren in CareMy Lords, we want to improve children and young people’s lives and outcomes, to strengthen families and to realise the benefits of establishing firm and loving foundations early…12 Oct 2022HANSARDChildren in CareThe department is grateful for the work that the Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation does and works closely with it. My noble friend makes a good point. A child in…12 Oct 2022HANSARDChildren in CareAs a department, we look at all those options, but on the one hand we need to recognise the extraordinary challenges children faced particularly through Covid—particularly…12 Oct 2022HANSARDChildren in CareThe noble Baroness makes a very good point. If it would help to meet some foster parents to understand those issues better, I would be delighted to do so.12 Oct 2022HANSARDChildren in CareThe Government share the concerns that the noble Baroness raises about some providers making excessive profits, but I am sure she is aware that neither the care review nor the…12 Oct 2022HANSARDChildren in CareThe noble Baroness raises a very important point, and she will be aware that, sadly, some of those figures are mirrored during a child in care’s educational experience. We are…12 Oct 2022HANSARDChildren in CareI cannot anticipate exactly what the strategy will do, as the noble and learned Baroness is aware. The cost of a child or young person being in a secure unit is extremely high,…12 Oct 2022HANSARDChildren in CareI think that we are doing as much as we can, but we absolutely acknowledge the issue. Following the different independent reviews that have been commissioned, we are considering…12 Oct 2022HANSARDChildren in CareThe Government absolutely agree with the noble Lord about the importance of stability. There is clear evidence of a link between changes in care placements and a decrease in…12 Oct 2022HANSARDFamily-strengthening PoliciesThe noble Lord will be aware of the work that was done by Josh MacAlister in his independent review of children’s social care and by the Competition and Markets Authority on…10 Oct 2022HANSARDFamily-strengthening PoliciesObviously the noble Lord is a great expert in this area. I will do my best to reassure him. The Government recently announced over £1 billion in programmes to develop early help…10 Oct 2022HANSARDFamily-strengthening PoliciesI know the noble Baroness will recognise that the Government have committed £37 billion to households most in need, and that £8 million of the most vulnerable households will…10 Oct 2022HANSARDFamily-strengthening PoliciesI thank my noble friend for his question and I take this opportunity to thank him more broadly for his tireless work over many years on support for families and recognition of…10 Oct 2022HANSARDFamily-strengthening PoliciesI am not aware of any recent research, but the noble Baroness is obviously aware that we offer universal free school meals. There are 1.25 universal infant free school…10 Oct 2022HANSARDFamily-strengthening PoliciesI will be delighted to do that.10 Oct 2022HANSARDFamily-strengthening PoliciesThere may be opportunities for a commission in this area, but my noble friend will be aware that a number of institutions and universities in this country and more broadly are…10 Oct 2022HANSARDFamily-strengthening PoliciesI fear that I shall have to defer to my colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions but, as I mentioned earlier, the Government are committed to supporting the most…10 Oct 2022