§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is being taken to return truants taking part in anti-war demonstrations to school; and what the cost has been of such action. [105252]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthIt is the responsibility of schools and Local Education Authorities to consider how best to prevent or deal with unauthorised absences that occur for any reason. While the police do have a power to return pupils who are truanting to school, this is exercisable only as part of a truancy sweep initiated by the Local Education Authority under section 16 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The police do not have a general power to return truants to school. Local Education Authorities and police forces are however working together to deter school children from participating in anti-war protests during school time.
The department also provides holiday playscheme places during the 13 weeks of school holidays each year. The playschemes are run at various locations for children age between 4 and 12 years.
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Cluster areas shown by region Region Cluster Region Cluster East of England Ipswich Norwich Cambridge Scotland Edinburgh Great Yarmouth Glasgow Peterborough South West Bristol East Midlands Leicester Gloucester Nottingham Swindon Lincoln Taunton and Bridgewater Derby Exeter South Central and East Brighton and Hove South Gloucestershire Hastings and St. Leonards Torbay Southampton Plymouth Portsmouth North Somerset Provision of childcare is one of a number of policies the Home Office has in place to help staff balance their work and home life. By supporting access to childcare the Department benefits from increased recruitment and retention of staff, a more diverse workforce and makes a positive contribution to the National Childcare Strategy. Comprehensive Information about childcare provision and the flexible working policies that can help staff to better manage their childcare arrangements are available on the Home Office Intranet.
The department is considering the recent Cabinet Office review of childcare across the Civil Service to see how the recommendations of the review can be implemented to enhance the support currently provided for staff who are parents.