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1,271 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFree School Meals: Food ParcelsMy Lords, the noble Baroness is correct. One key reason why the Government gave schools the choice was that they were aware of the operation of their own school catering staff—but…14 Jan 2021HANSARDFree School Meals: Food ParcelsMy Lords, I join the Prime Minister in paying tribute to the work of Marcus Rashford, which was recognised in the latest honours that he was given. In relation to the flexibility…14 Jan 2021HANSARDFree School Meals: Food ParcelsI am grateful to the noble Lord for outlining the role that school caterers have at the moment. Some of them obviously want to be involved in the delivery of free school meals to…14 Jan 2021HANSARDFree School Meals: Food ParcelsMy Lords, we are indeed considering the first part of the national food strategy. We expect part two to be with us, potentially, later this month and the Government have made a…14 Jan 2021HANSARDChild WelfareMy Lords, the NSPCC’s role is very important at the moment. That is why we have ensured funding so that its helpline can exist. Within the structure of the Department for…07 Jan 2021HANSARDChild WelfareAs I understand it, the primary responsibility in statute is with the local authority. It has responsibility for the safety and welfare of every child within its area. That is…07 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsMy Lords, first, I pay tribute to all the staff who are making provision available to pupils in our schools and to those who are remote learning. In response to the questions…07 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsI am grateful to the noble Lord for mentioning vaccination, because I forgot to outline the position. We are following independent experts from the JCVI in distributing the…07 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsMy Lords, school staff did a sterling job of setting up testing facilities in secondary schools over the Christmas holidays. The testing will be used for staff, vulnerable…07 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsMy Lords, the position was not that there was any increased risk for staff in these settings; the closure reflected the fact that the levels in the community generally were such…07 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsMy Lords, I have outlined that we recognise the hard work that teachers, teaching staff and all the ancillary staff have been doing, but there will be a few situations in which…07 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsMy Lords, there have been significant changes. As I just outlined, we hope we will carry forward certain changes if they are in the best interests of children. There will be a…07 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsMy Lords, we are keenly aware of the effect that the closure of schools has, particularly on disadvantaged children. We are aware that school is a protective factor for many…07 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsMy Lords, the noble Baroness raises a very important point; we are aware that many children are living in accommodation with no outside space and limited indoor space. The…07 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsMy Lords, the Government have purchased more than a million laptops. The change in the formula to which I believe the noble Lord refers—the change in the allocations—was to get…07 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsMy Lords, it is an ingenious suggestion and I am grateful to the noble Baroness for giving me advance notice of it. However, it is one of those things that is easier said than…07 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsMy Lords, there have been significant preparations and schools are in a different place than they were when we had to impose the initial shutdown in March. I have outlined in…07 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsMy Lords, in relation to GCSEs, the majority of children in England transition at 16. That may not be the case in other devolved nations and therefore examinations at 16 are an…07 Jan 2021HANSARDChild WelfareMy Lords, in relation to certain matters such as care leavers, there is a formal cross-ministerial group, but I assure noble Lords that the processes are not ad hoc. There are…07 Jan 2021HANSARDChild WelfareMy Lords, the noble Baroness may be aware that the DWP has a specific initiative to reduce parental conflict. When the Domestic Abuse Bill is before the House, I am sure noble…07 Jan 2021