Speeches by Paffey.

“Hours? Days? Weeks?”

“On lifting the two-child cap, many of us who have worked in preventive versus reactive services know that the point is that later on we do not have to pay the money on worse outcomes for children, so this is an investment in tackling child poverty. However, it comes with an up-front cost, which is estimated to be aroun…”

“There is a disparity in how FE colleges are able to claim VAT based on how they are branded or categorised. A sixth-form academy in the west of my city can reclaim VAT costs, as can sixth forms that are part of schools, but an FE college and a stand-alone sixth form in the east of my city cannot reclaim their VAT costs…”

“You are right that it is a big step, but it will not eradicate child poverty, obviously. What is the second biggest or most effective step that can be taken? What further measures are high up on your priority list in order to really shift the dial on child poverty?”

“We appreciate that you are keeping it under review. We will probably keep nagging you about it.”

“Once they have done that, how will the Department be monitoring it to see whether the necessary and expected progress has been made?”

“Good afternoon, Secretary of State. You have reported to this Committee and to the House about the progress of the Government’s child poverty strategy. We do not yet have it, though. Can you say what the delays are and when we can expect to see it, please?”

“I have to declare an interest for this question: I am the chair of the APPG on modern languages. There is an idea that the EBacc saved modern languages, but they went down during the period. Do you share my concern that we still need an incentive of some sort to recognise that, with the current global challenges, inclu…”

“The evidence from around the world suggests that, in places that have enviable language skills among their students, those students do not start at key stage 2, but right at key stage 1. Is that something you will look at?”

“A final question if I may. I am starting to hear about a return of some universities to using quite a lot of unconditional offers, not post-qualification but using it—we know why they are using them. They want bums on seats. They want money in the bank. That is why the DfE took action to ban them before. Would you agre…”

“Will your monitoring lead you, if necessary, to challenge the potential emergence of those cold spots? As a Government with a mission to break down barriers to opportunity, if that barrier becomes that someone who cannot afford to live away for university now cannot even commute to do the course that they want, that be…”

“Other providers have provided evidence too.”

“You mentioned extra funding there for high-cost subjects. One of the suggestions that has come from Universities UK is that you reinstate the strategic priorities grant for vulnerable subjects. Is that something that you are willing to consider?”

“One of the potential risks of any institutions going insolvent or even in the case of some mergers is that you will see cold spots in particular subjects emerging across the country. Minister, you have already ruled out a return to student number controls, but you have started mapping out those potential cold spots. Co…”

“Would you be willing to raise this if, as we heard from a number of institutions, they were to make their case for that? I appreciate that it is very last minute for this round, but we are talking about long-term sustainability and if they are going to be looking at that over the coming years and that becomes a barrier…”

“Minister, you have spoken quite supportively in this session about those universities that are seeking to do things such as share backroom services as a way of reducing their costs. What we have heard is that when they look at doing so the imposition of VAT on those separate organisations then becomes a barrier. Would …”

“Q4. This is Care Leavers Month, when we remember the resilience and brilliance of our young people who have grown up in care, and I was delighted to welcome a group of Southampton’s care leavers to share their views with the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Whitehaven and Workington…”

“How can the DfE improve both the coherence and the evidence base of qualifications in the early years sector?”

“Evidence suggests that the staff in baby rooms are generally less qualified than staff in the rest of the early years sector. Would the package of recommendations you have just outlined deal with qualifications for those working with under two-year-olds? Or are there specific different things you would recommend? Is th…”

“Thank you, Chair. Thinking about the quality of childcare settings, what is clear is that the Government want to expand largely by relying on the private sector and the market to provide the majority of places, but we know that there are international examples where rapid expansion has led to a diminishing of quality, …”