Oral Question·Northern Ireland Office
“What recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on a UK-wide approach to tackling covid-19.”
Tabled: 22 September 2020Answered: 30 September 2020
Asked by
Stuart Anderson
Conservative — South Shropshire
Answering Minister
the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Answer from Hansard
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Josh MacAlister)
In 2017, the Government’s spending watchdog estimated that free schools would create 57,500 surplus places. This Government took the sensible, pragmatic decision to pause a number of proposed free schools due to real concerns about value for money. We recognise the need for clarity, and we will provide a substantive update on this project and others in the mainstream pipeline review very soon.