Oral QuestionDepartment for Education

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of mental ill health on levels of school absences.

Tabled: 5 March 2024Answered: 11 March 2024

Asked by

Luke Pollard

Labour (Co-op)Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Education

Answer from Hansard

The Prime Minister

My hon. Friend is right about the appalling inheritance, which included record numbers sleeping rough and almost 160,000 children living in temporary accommodation. We are delivering nearly £1 billion to councils to tackle homelessness, including increasing funding in Bolton over the next year. That includes dedicated support with housing, mental health and employment. We are also committed to tackling the root causes, which is why we are building 1.5 million new homes and abolishing section 21 no-fault evictions—something the Conservatives said they would do and repeatedly failed to.