My honourable Friend Secretary of State for Education (Rt Hon Michael Gove MP) made the following announcement:

In line with normal practice I would like to inform the House that whilst in the summer recess, my Department provided an indemnity to the Church Commissioners for England, in order to secure a lease arrangement on its site for CET primary school, Westminster, from September 2013 until 31st March 2017.

Such an indemnity would normally be notified in advance to Parliament but since the need was identified during recess, officials wrote to Rt. Hon. Margaret Hodge MP as Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, copied to Graham Stuart MP as Chair of the Education Select Committee on 21st August 2013, informing them of the proposed indemnity.

I inform the House today of the indemnity provided and a Departmental Minute, which sets out the detail of the indemnity, has been laid in both Houses.