Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reinstate the practical 4-year apprentice scheme for the building industry in light of the reduction in skilled workers in this sector since the UK’s departure from the EU.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide teaching and mentoring in English language and culture to recently arrived Afghan refugees; and how they plan to deliver this.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We know that language skills are crucial to help people integrate into life in England, as well as to break down barriers to work and career progression. This is why we want to support all new arrivals to England to secure the English language skills they need.
All Afghans being resettled through both the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will be granted ‘indefinite leave to remain’ and therefore are eligible from arrival for funding through the Adult Education Budget, including English language courses. They will also receive a package of integration support to help them acclimatise, learn English and find work, which will enable rapid self-sufficiency and social integration. We will be working with the private, voluntary and community sectors to harness a whole of society effort to address this challenge.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether teachers are prioritised to receive a COVID-19 vaccination regardless of age; and if not, what plans they have to prioritise teachers to receive such vaccinations.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the government on which vaccine/s the UK should use and provide advice on who should be offered them. The JCVI advises that the first priorities for the COVID-19 vaccination should be the prevention of mortality and the maintenance of the health and social care systems. As the risk of mortality from COVID-19 increases with age, prioritisation is primarily based on age.
For phase 1, this will capture all those over 50 years of age and all those 16 years of age and over who are clinically extremely vulnerable or have certain underlying health conditions. This captures almost all preventable deaths from COVID-19 and will include thousands of staff in the education, childcare and children’s social care workforce.
The JCVI has been asked by the Department for Health and Social Care to give its advice on the optimal strategy to further reduce mortality, morbidity and hospitalisation from COVID-19 disease for phase 2 of the vaccine rollout. The JCVI have advised that the second phase of vaccine prioritisation should continue to be based on age. They advise that an age-based approach remains the most effective way of reducing death and hospitalisation from COVID-19 and will ensure more people are protected more quickly. The second phase of the vaccine rollout will begin from mid-April and will aim to offer every adult aged 18 and over a first dose of the vaccine by 31 July 2021.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether special provision is made to help children with special needs of military serving personnel.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
All teachers in state-funded schools across England and Ministry of Defence (MoD) schools overseas are teachers of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with duties to identify and meet these needs as they arise.
The Children’s Education Advisory Service within the MoD provides advice and guidance to Service parents, educational establishments and local authorities on educational issues relating to Service children, including issues relating SEND.
For those Service families living in England, the SEND Code of Practice has a specific section covering ‘Children of Service personnel’ (pages 219-221) that recognises that those SEND children whose parent(s) are Service personnel may face difficulties that are unique to the nature of their serving parent’s employment, namely service induced mobility and deployment. This section reiterates the requirement to have regard to this Code of Practice and to meeting the aspirations of the Armed Forces Covenant, which attempts to eliminate or mitigate some of the potential disadvantages faced by Service families.
UK legislation does not generally apply to Service families living outside the UK. Nevertheless, for those Service families based overseas, the MoD seeks to mirror so far as is reasonably practicable the support that would be normally be available in the UK. The MoD also undertakes a thorough assessment to determine whether families’ support needs can be met in overseas locations before an overseas assignment is agreed.
The MoD employs a team of educational psychologists, and other professionally qualified individuals, to assess need and provide support for children with SEND. MoD schools overseas routinely support children with SEND, in line with the statutory guidance contained in the Department for Education’s 2015 SEND Code of Practice. In overseas locations without MoD schools, assessments are made to ensure that host nation schools are able to provide any required SEND support before an overseas assignment is agreed.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 29 July (HL9377), what plans they have to ensure that parents of children at state schools who do not wish their children to eat meat from animals that have not been pre-stunned prior to slaughter have the same ability to identify such meat as those who wish their children to eat meat slaughtered using Halal and Shechita methods.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
I refer the noble Lady to the answer I gave on 20 July 2018 to HL9377.
However, we have noted the noble Lady’s points on this issue and will monitor the situation.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 4 July, what action they will take to ensure that parents can prevent their children in state schools from being fed meat from animals slaughtered without pre-stunning.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Head teachers, governors and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies. We expect schools to act reasonably and to provide choices that take account of cultural, religious and special dietary needs. We also expect schools to work with parents in making appropriate arrangements.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether meat from animals slaughtered without first being stunned is being served as part of school meals in local authority maintained schools.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
We do not collect this information.
The Government sets out required minimum standards for school food in the School Food Standards to ensure that children are served healthy, nutritious meals at school. The standards do not specify food requirements in terms of cultural and religious needs.
Head teachers, governors and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies. We expect schools to act reasonably and to provide choices that take account of cultural, religious and special dietary needs. We also expect schools to work with parents in making appropriate arrangements. In particular, schools should consult with parents when making changes to school food provision and ensure that parents have access to information on the food provided. If parents are not happy with the food provided by the school, they can discuss this with the school and may consider using the schools complaints policy. We would expect any significant changes to school food to be discussed with parents.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
Her Majesty's Government how those women’s rights enshrined in EU law will be safeguarded once the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Government wants to preserve the UK’s proud record of promoting equality and tackling discrimination through some of the strongest laws in the world. We have been clear that all protections contained in the Equality Act 2006, the Equality Act 2010, and equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland, will continue to apply after we have left the EU. Moreover, the Repeal Bill will ensure that all workers' rights that are derived from EU law, including those enjoyed by women, will continue to be available in UK law after we have left the EU.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Gypsy and Traveller children were taken into care in 2015 and how this compares with the general population.
Answered by Lord Nash
In the year ending 31 March 2016, 32,050 children started to be looked after, of which 210 had an ethnic origin of Gypsy/Roma or Traveller of Irish heritage.
The comparable figures for the year ending 31 March 2015, were 31,340 children starting to be looked after, of which 240 were of Gypsy/Roma or Traveller of Irish Heritage ethnic origin.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take to encourage schools to promote Gypsy Roma Traveller History month in June 2017.
Answered by Lord Nash
Schools have a crucial role to play in celebrating the history and culture of all their pupils, fostering inclusion and reaching out to the communities they serve. The Government is keen to support and encourage all schools to fulfil this important role. The Department for Education is currently considering the drivers for raising the educational attainment of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) pupils, drawing on expertise from these communities, and will consider GRT History Month in that context.