Forty-Seventh Report - Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts 2019/20
Select Committee
Public Accounts Committee
HC 994
25 March 2022
Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty Seventh report from Session 2021-22 · published 27 May 2022
Recommendations & Conclusions
4 results
4
Recommendation
Not Addressed
We continue to be concerned about the Department’s understanding of asbestos within the school estate.
Recommendation
We continue to be concerned about the Department’s understanding of asbestos within the school estate. Asbestos is a significant, and potentially dangerous, problem in many schools. We have previously found that the Department did not have a complete picture of …
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Government Response Summary
The government response does not address the recommendation about asbestos in schools. It provides an unrelated comment about waiting times for elective and cancer treatment.
HM Treasury
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7
Conclusion
Not Addressed
The Department and ESFA work closely with Regional Schools Commissioners to oversee and support the...
Conclusion
The Department and ESFA work closely with Regional Schools Commissioners to oversee and support the sector. Regional Schools Commissioners currently operate across eight regions in England.14 The Department stated that it was looking at the split between regional areas and …
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Government Response Summary
The department is working with Falcon Education Academies Trust and St Joseph’s Catholic MAT to pilot a new approach for schools that cannot be placed with a strong MAT sponsor and Regional Directors will engage local partners to determine the best way to develop a strong trust landscape.
HM Treasury
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18
Conclusion
Not Addressed
The Department has estimated that the land and buildings within the academy estate is worth...
Conclusion
The Department has estimated that the land and buildings within the academy estate is worth £56.3 billion at 31 August 2020.43 We asked the Department about its understanding of the academy estate and any concerns it had about its condition. …
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Government Response Summary
The government response addresses a different PAC recommendation (PAC recommendation 3) regarding collecting and publishing data on pupil access to learning facilities, which it explicitly disagrees with. It describes existing efforts on estate data collection, but does not directly engage with the provided conclusion #18's observations on estate valuation and repair costs.
HM Treasury
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24
Conclusion
Not Addressed
When we last reported on the academy accounts, back in January 2019, we were reporting...
Conclusion
When we last reported on the academy accounts, back in January 2019, we were reporting on a SARA that carried forward a qualified audit opinion since its inception in 2015/16 due to a limitation of data available to verify the …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on asbestos management and condition data collection, which is unrelated to the committee's conclusion about the Whole of Government Accounts and academy year-end reporting.
HM Treasury
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