Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of a four-day working week on gender equality.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The government routinely considers the implications of evidence from a range of sources when assessing policies on working practices. The government has no plans to implement a four-day week but has recently introduced the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023.
The Act makes changes to the right to request flexible working to better support employers and employees to agree flexible working arrangements that work for everyone.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Millions to take home more cash as new guidance on Tipping is published, published on 22 April 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delaying the implementation of the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 to 1 October 2024.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act will require employers to pass all tips on to workers, without deductions. The implementation date for the Act, and the accompanying statutory Code of Practice, was revised from 1st July to 1st October to ensure sufficient time for those affected by the changes to prepare.
The impacts of the new requirements were considered in the impact assessment for the Act: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3197/publications.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Competition and Market Authority investigation into the proposed merger between Vodafone and Three Mobile.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Competition and Markets Authority is the UK’s independent competition regulator and its merger investigations are independent of Government.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many chapters of a prospective free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council have been concluded.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Six rounds of negotiations have been successfully concluded as part of negotiations on a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Department for Business and Trade regularly engages with the GCC at both Chief Negotiator and ministerial level and is making good progress on agreeing chapters including in areas such as Customs, Technical Barriers to Trade and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). The department cannot comment any further as negotiations are ongoing.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has plans to distinguish between (a) studio and (b) one bedroom apartments in Local Housing Allowance rates.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
A one-bedroom rate for the calculation of Local Housing Allowance is defined as accommodation where the tenant has the exclusive use of only one bedroom and exclusive use of a kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet and a room suitable for living in. This includes studio apartments. There are no plans to change this definition.
Housing support is calculated according to the number of bedrooms a person needs based on the size of their household.
The maximum housing costs support is the lower of the actual rent and service charges or the relevant Local Housing Allowance rate.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to increase domestic steel production to levels that would make the UK self-sufficient.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Government recognises the importance of steelmaking in the UK. However, there are many types of steel products needed by consumers, and it is not always economically viable for any nation to be wholly self-sufficient. This means that the UK imports certain types of steel and also exports certain steel product to other countries.
We have taken action to enable a competitive landscape and level playing field, including reducing energy costs through the British Industry Supercharger, access to energy efficiency and decarbonisation funding, and remedies against unfair trading practices, while balancing the need to remain a fair and open market.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the benefit cap on people living in regions with high housing costs outside of Greater London; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) aligning the benefit cap with Local Housing Allowance rates and (b) exempting housing-related benefits from a benefits cap set at a lower rate.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made and there are no current plans to change the policy.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to encourage a greater emphasis on developing essential skills for life in schools and colleges.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department wants all children to leave school with the knowledge, skills and values that will prepare them to be citizens in modern Britain. There are many aspects of the curriculum that help young people develop essential life skills, including through the teaching of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), citizenship, mathematics and design and technology (D&T).
In primary schools, age-appropriate relationships education involves supporting children to learn how to develop mutually respectful relationships in all contexts, including online. In secondary schools, this broadens to become age-appropriate relationships and sex education. In health education, there is a strong focus on mental wellbeing, including a recognition that mental wellbeing and physical health are linked. The statutory guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
The department is currently reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance. The review has been informed by an independent expert panel to advise the Secretary of State for Education on the introduction of age limits for sensitive subjects. A draft of the amended guidance will be published for consultation as soon as possible.
The national curriculum for secondary citizenship develops pupils’ awareness and understanding of democracy, government and how laws are made and upheld. Teaching should equip pupils with the skills and knowledge to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, debate and make reasoned arguments. The citizenship programmes of study are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-citizenship-programmes-of-study.
Primary maintained schools and all academies are encouraged to cover citizenship as part of their duty to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum following the non-statutory framework for citizenship.
Pupils should be prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed.
Financial knowledge is a compulsory part of the national curriculum for mathematics at key stages 1 to 4 and citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. The mathematics curriculum provides young people with the mathematical knowledge that underpins their ability to make important financial decisions. At primary schools, there is a strong emphasis on enabling pupils to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. At secondary schools and in GCSE mathematics, pupils solve problems in financial contexts. The mathematics programme of study can be found on GOV.UK.
Through primary citizenship curriculum, pupils should be taught to realise that money comes from different sources and can be used for different purposes. They should also be taught how to spend and save money sensibly and that economic choices affect individuals and communities. This is expanded in secondary citizenship where pupils are taught the function and uses of money, how to budget, and manage credit and debt, as well as concepts like insurance, savings and pensions.
Cooking and nutrition is a discrete strand of the national curriculum for D&T. This was introduced as part of the 2014 D&T curriculum and is compulsory for key stages 1 to 3. The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook, with an emphasis on savoury dishes, and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition. It recognises that cooking is an important life skill that will help children to feed themselves and others healthy and affordable food.
RSHE and citizenship sit alongside extra-curricular programmes to develop a variety of life skills such as resilience, leadership, persistence, and teamwork. Schools are best placed to understand and meet the needs of their pupils and so have flexibility to decide how they deliver the curriculum and what range of extra-curricular activities to offer. The department supports a range of initiatives to expand access to extra-curricular activities through schools, such as working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to offer the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to all state secondary schools in England.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to encourage a greater emphasis on developing skills for work in schools and colleges.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department wants all young people to leave school or college with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours to progress onto higher education or skilled work.
High-quality careers information, advice and guidance is key to helping all young people to make informed decisions about their future, understand the skills they need to succeed and the pathways to take them there. The department funds the Careers and Enterprise Company to support schools and colleges to deliver high-quality careers programmes and increase young people’s exposure to the world of work. 92% (4,760) of schools and colleges in England are part of a Careers Hub, which increase young peoples’ encounters with employers, access to workplace experiences and understanding of the skills, behaviours, and qualifications they need to develop for a range of jobs and sectors. Through the National Careers Service website and live chat function, young people aged 13 to 18 can access free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers and skills in England.
Colleges deliver a wide range of vocational and technical training needed to prepare students for skilled work in a wide variety of occupations, and for higher technical study. Colleges are delivering:
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 24 of the report by the Edge Foundation entitled Advancing British standards? Exploring public attitudes towards a baccalaureate-style 16-18 education system, published in April 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential breadth of the Level 3 technical qualifications offer that can be taken alongside A levels.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Advanced British Standard (ABS) is designed to provide students with greater breadth and access to a single menu of high quality and distinct subjects, each with a clear purpose. Students will have the freedom to take a mix of technical and academic subjects, which gives them more flexibility over their future career options.
All students taking the ABS will study English and maths to age 18, either as theoretical or applied, depending on their interests and future goals.
The ongoing qualification reforms will pave the way for the future ABS, removing duplicate, low quality courses, that do not deliver the skills employers need. T Levels will form the core of the occupational routes within the ABS. The department is currently reforming applied general qualifications to ensure that other technical qualifications are based on employer designed, occupational standards not covered by T Levels, such as Travel Consultant, Highways electrician, and Personal trainer. This will pave the way for the inclusion of subjects within the ABS.
As highlighted in the Edge Foundation’s report, the ABS requires an increase to teaching hours. The department will increase the number of taught hours by an extra 15% for most 16 to 19-year-olds, against the current average funded time of 1280 hours over two years. This will mean students receive at least 1,475 hours over two years, including industry placements. This enables the department to retain the depth and rigour to support progression to further study, apprenticeships and work, while giving students the breadth they need to succeed in an ever changing economy