Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what alternative provision has been put in place if association to the Erasmus programme after 31 December cannot be negotiated.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Under the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with the EU, the UK will continue to participate fully in the current (2014–20) Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. This means that projects successfully bid for during the current programmes will continue to receive funding for the full duration of the project, including those where funding runs beyond 2020 and the end of the transition period.
The UK’s participation in the next Erasmus+ programme (2021–27) is matter for our ongoing negotiations with the EU. The government remains open to considering participation in elements of the next Erasmus+ programme, provided that the terms are in the UK’s interests. It would not be appropriate to pre-empt the outcome of those negotiations.
In parallel to our negotiations with the EU, the government is continuing to develop a domestic alternative to Erasmus+ to ensure that we are prepared for every eventuality. This is subject to decisions on funding at the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in ensuring the continuation of the Erasmus programme after 31 December.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Under the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with the EU, the UK will continue to participate fully in the current (2014–20) Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. This means that projects successfully bid for during the current programmes will continue to receive funding for the full duration of the project, including those where funding runs beyond 2020 and the end of the transition period.
The UK’s participation in the next Erasmus+ programme (2021–27) is matter for our ongoing negotiations with the EU. The government remains open to considering participation in elements of the next Erasmus+ programme, provided that the terms are in the UK’s interests. It would not be appropriate to pre-empt the outcome of those negotiations.
In parallel to our negotiations with the EU, the government is continuing to develop a domestic alternative to Erasmus+ to ensure that we are prepared for every eventuality. This is subject to decisions on funding at the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the viability of the small, specialist higher education sub-sector.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak poses significant financial challenges to the higher education (HE) sector, including small and specialist providers.
We are committed to supporting small and specialist providers which play an important part in our HE sector to develop and nurture skills and talent that our country needs. We have been working closely with the sector, the Office for Students (OfS), and across government to understand the financial risks that providers are facing, to stabilise the admissions system, and to help providers access the support on offer. The OfS has stated that one of its key priorities during the outbreak is to support the financial sustainability of the sector. Providers with concerns about their financial viability or sustainability have been encouraged to contact the OfS at the earliest opportunity. In light of COVID-19, the OfS has enhanced its financial sustainability reporting to identify sector and short-term viability risks to individual universities, as well as patterns across the sector.
The government has already provided significant support to help providers through the financial challenges that COVID-19 has brought. The HE package we announced on 4 May, with its reprofiling of public funding and measures on admissions, has acted to stabilise the situation in England. Alongside this, eligible HE providers have also been able to apply to take advantage of the range of measures put in place to support businesses across the economy, including government-backed loan schemes and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
On 27 June, we announced further UK-wide support in the form of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s research stabilisation package.
On 16 July, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced further information about the HE restructuring regime. The government will be able to intervene to support a provider in England, where there is a case to do so as a last resort, when a provider has exhausted other steps to mitigate its risk of market exit because of COVID-19. The over-arching policy objectives that will guide the department’s assessment of cases will be protecting the welfare of current students, preserving the sector’s internationally outstanding science base, and supporting the role that higher education providers play in regional and local economies through the provision of high-quality courses aligned with economic and societal needs.
Financial support in the form of repayable loans will only be offered as a last resort and with strict conditions attached, such as tackling low-quality courses and reducing excessive vice-chancellor pay.
Details on the HE restructuring regime can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-restructuring-regime.
The government continues to prioritise world-leading specialist teaching and provides teaching grant funding, via the OfS, to support the costs of this type of provision. The teaching grant funding for academic year 2020-21 has been protected in full in cash terms and totals £43 million.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to protect high quality creative courses in the small, specialist higher education sub-sector.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak poses significant financial challenges to the higher education (HE) sector, including small and specialist providers.
We are committed to supporting small and specialist providers which play an important part in our HE sector to develop and nurture skills and talent that our country needs. We have been working closely with the sector, the Office for Students (OfS), and across government to understand the financial risks that providers are facing, to stabilise the admissions system, and to help providers access the support on offer. The OfS has stated that one of its key priorities during the outbreak is to support the financial sustainability of the sector. Providers with concerns about their financial viability or sustainability have been encouraged to contact the OfS at the earliest opportunity. In light of COVID-19, the OfS has enhanced its financial sustainability reporting to identify sector and short-term viability risks to individual universities, as well as patterns across the sector.
The government has already provided significant support to help providers through the financial challenges that COVID-19 has brought. The HE package we announced on 4 May, with its reprofiling of public funding and measures on admissions, has acted to stabilise the situation in England. Alongside this, eligible HE providers have also been able to apply to take advantage of the range of measures put in place to support businesses across the economy, including government-backed loan schemes and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
On 27 June, we announced further UK-wide support in the form of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s research stabilisation package.
On 16 July, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced further information about the HE restructuring regime. The government will be able to intervene to support a provider in England, where there is a case to do so as a last resort, when a provider has exhausted other steps to mitigate its risk of market exit because of COVID-19. The over-arching policy objectives that will guide the department’s assessment of cases will be protecting the welfare of current students, preserving the sector’s internationally outstanding science base, and supporting the role that higher education providers play in regional and local economies through the provision of high-quality courses aligned with economic and societal needs.
Financial support in the form of repayable loans will only be offered as a last resort and with strict conditions attached, such as tackling low-quality courses and reducing excessive vice-chancellor pay.
Details on the HE restructuring regime can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-restructuring-regime.
The government continues to prioritise world-leading specialist teaching and provides teaching grant funding, via the OfS, to support the costs of this type of provision. The teaching grant funding for academic year 2020-21 has been protected in full in cash terms and totals £43 million.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what considerations they have made of BAME households in developing plans to re-open schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
We have developed plans to open schools to more children and young people in line with our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, including the Public Sector Equality Duty. This means we have had due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Act; advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic, including race, and persons who do not share it; and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
We are aware that there is emerging evidence that BAME individuals can be more severely affected than their peers by the virus, though this is not yet fully understood. On 4 May, Public Health England launched a review into the factors affecting health outcomes from COVID-19, to include ethnicity, gender and obesity. This will be published by the end of May and will help to inform our approach. In the meantime, schools should be especially sensitive to the needs and worries of BAME members of staff, BAME parents and BAME pupils, and consider if any additional measures or reasonable adjustments may need to be put in place to mitigate concerns.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what role will testing and contact-tracing play in education; whether the systematic testing of staff and pupils at schools play a role in keeping effective reproduction number of coronavirus below 1; and what PPE is appropriate for use across the variety of school settings in view of the expected levels of prevalence of the virus.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
On 12 May, the department published comprehensive guidance to schools which included advice on protective measures and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The guidance can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings.
On 18 May 2020, the Government announced that with immediate effect, all UK citizens over the age of 5 who experience symptoms are eligible to be tested.
To support schools in the return of a wider group of children and young people from 1 June, they will have access to testing if they display symptoms, as will any symptomatic members of their household.
The government has launched a new national test and trace programme. This will include more traditional methods of contact tracing if a child, young person or parent tests positive. This could include, for example, direct discussion with parents and schools or colleges on recent contacts.
The majority of staff in education, childcare and children’s social care settings will not require PPE beyond what they would normally need for their work, even if they are not always able to maintain distance of 2 metres from others.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they will provide on parameters for (1) appropriate physical distancing, (2) levels of social mixing, and (3) appropriate use of PPE, in schools.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
On 12 May, the department published comprehensive guidance to schools which included advice on protective measures and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The guidance can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings.
On 18 May 2020, the Government announced that with immediate effect, all UK citizens over the age of 5 who experience symptoms are eligible to be tested.
To support schools in the return of a wider group of children and young people from 1 June, they will have access to testing if they display symptoms, as will any symptomatic members of their household.
The government has launched a new national test and trace programme. This will include more traditional methods of contact tracing if a child, young person or parent tests positive. This could include, for example, direct discussion with parents and schools or colleges on recent contacts.
The majority of staff in education, childcare and children’s social care settings will not require PPE beyond what they would normally need for their work, even if they are not always able to maintain distance of 2 metres from others.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there will be comprehensive access to regular testing for children and staff to ensure that schools and colleges do not become hotspots for COVID-19.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
On 12 May, the department published comprehensive guidance to schools which included advice on protective measures and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The guidance can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings.
On 18 May 2020, the Government announced that with immediate effect, all UK citizens over the age of 5 who experience symptoms are eligible to be tested.
To support schools in the return of a wider group of children and young people from 1 June, they will have access to testing if they display symptoms, as will any symptomatic members of their household.
The government has launched a new national test and trace programme. This will include more traditional methods of contact tracing if a child, young person or parent tests positive. This could include, for example, direct discussion with parents and schools or colleges on recent contacts.
The majority of staff in education, childcare and children’s social care settings will not require PPE beyond what they would normally need for their work, even if they are not always able to maintain distance of 2 metres from others.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what incentives and support they plan to provide to encourage employers to continue to recruit apprentices in the coming months.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
This is a difficult time for apprentices, employers and providers of apprenticeship training, assessment and external assurance. We are committed to supporting apprentices and employers so that we can continue to build the skills capabilities that the country needs. While we recognise that many employers will not feel that they are in a position to recruit apprentices during a period of considerable uncertainty, a comprehensive package of support remains available to those that do.
Employers can still use the apprenticeship service to find a suitable provider, advertise vacancies and manage the recruitment of apprentices. In January 2020, we began rolling out all aspects of the service to smaller employers that do not pay the levy, giving them more control over accessing funding for their apprenticeship choices. This roll-out is continuing, with smaller employers able to reserve funding for new apprenticeship starts through the apprenticeship service.
We provide financial incentives to businesses interested in recruiting apprentices, including paying 95% of training costs for employers that do not pay the levy. The government meets the full cost of training for the smallest employers (those with under 50 employees) for 16 to 18 year old apprentices and some 19 to 24 year old apprentices. We also provide additional payments of £1,000 to both the employer and provider for hiring and training 16 to 18 year olds and for 19 to 24 year olds who have an Education, Health and Care Plan.
Guidance on the measures that we are taking to help employers retain their apprentices and plan with more certainty can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-apprenticeship-programme-response.
This will continue to be updated as the situation develops. We are also planning a number of campaigns to stimulate employer interest in the recruitment of apprentices during the period of economic recovery from COVID-19.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to postponing the consultation by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education on changes to the funding recommendation process during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
This is a matter for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. I have asked its Chief Executive, Jennifer Coupland, to write to the noble Lady and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses when it is available.