This Library Note provides information on the Children and Families Bill, which is due for second reading in the House of Lords on 2 July 2013. The Bill covers several areas, including: adoption and children in care; the family justice system; children and young people with special educational needs; the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England; rights to leave and pay for parents; the right to request flexible working; and early years education and child care.
Children and Families Bill (HL Bill 32 of 2013–14) (373 KB , PDF)
This Library Note provides information on the Children and Families Bill, which is due for second reading in the House of Lords on 2 July 2013. The Note is intended to be read in conjunction with two House of Commons Library Research Papers: Children and Families Bill (15 February 2013, RP13/11) and Children and Families Bill Committee Stage Report (31 May 2013, RP13/32), which provide background information and summarise the second reading debate and committee stage in the House of Commons. This Note summarises the report stage and third reading debate in the House of Commons. The Bill covers several areas, including: adoption and children in care; the family justice system; children and young people with special educational needs; the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England; rights to leave and pay for parents; the right to request flexible working; and early years education and child care.
Children and Families Bill (HL Bill 32 of 2013–14) (373 KB , PDF)
The National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill would implement the changes to employer national insurance contributions announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the 2024 autumn budget.
The number of young people with special educational needs and disabilities has increased in recent years, prompting concerns about quality of SEND provision and the impact on local authority finances. A report by the National Audit Office in October 2024 concluded that, without reform, the costs of the SEND system were unsustainable. In the 2024 autumn budget, the Labour government announced an increase in education spending of £11.2bn from 2023/24 levels by 2025/26, with £1bn earmarked for SEND funding.
Academic research suggests that mobile phones in schools can adversely affect pupils’ educational attainment and contribute to problems such as bullying. But some experts point to potential learning benefits and argue that a blanket ban on phones could prove ineffective and counterproductive. Government guidance discourages the use of phones in schools but defers to school leaders on prohibiting their use. Most schools in England already have policies limiting the use of phones.
