Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential provision of content regarding tackling violence against women and girls through (1) immersive, and (2) other, electronic media.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office has worked to identify the most impactful and cost-effective channels to provide content under its tackling violence against women and girls campaign, Enough. This has included variety of digital channels including social media advertising, video-on-demand, digital audio and search engine optimisation.
Immersive forms of electronic media were considered as part of the campaign’s PR activity, but not pursued, following advice from sector experts who felt this type of activity could carry an increased risk of triggering trauma among victims of abuse.
We will continue to ensure any future campaign activity explores and utilises innovative ways of reaching our audiences and delivering its vital message.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to including (1) AI, (2) metaverse, and (3) emerging new technologies, in (a) primary, and (b) secondary, education.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to ensuring that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a world class computing education.
The department introduced computing as a statutory National Curriculum subject in 2014, to replace the subject of information and communications technology (ICT), widely regarded as outdated. The computing curriculum ensures that pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how computers work and take instructions, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming and algorithms. This starts from primary school, where pupils learn how to design and debug simple programmes and learn about the wider impact of technology, including how search engine results are ranked.
The computing curriculum is intentionally broad to allow flexibility in how content is taught, to reduce the risk that it will become outdated, given the speed of innovation. It was designed to prepare pupils with foundational knowledge that allows them to understand and respond to new and emerging technologies. The computer science GCSE is designed to equip pupils with the foundational knowledge they will need for the technological jobs of the future, including those in artificial intelligence (AI).
The department recently published a statement, ‘Generative AI in education’, setting out its position on the use of generative AI, including large language models like ChatGPT or Google Bard, in the education sector. This statement is attached. The statement is informed by the government's White Paper on a pro-innovation approach to AI regulation and follows the government's recent announcement to create a Foundation Model Taskforce. The White Paper is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-regulation-a-pro-innovation-approach/white-paper, and the Foundational Model Taskforce announcement is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/initial-100-million-for-expert-taskforce-to-help-uk-build-and-adopt-next-generation-of-safe-ai.
AI, the metaverse, and emerging new technologies all present both potential benefits and threats to young people. E-safety is embedded within the computing curriculum, across all Key Stages, with progression in content to reflect the different and escalating risks that young people may encounter. They are taught how to use technology safely, responsibly, respectfully and securely, how to keep their personal information private, how to recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, and where they can go for help and support on content they come across on the internet, or via other online technologies.
The department is seeking views, through a call for evidence, on how generative artificial intelligence is being used across education in England, including the opportunities and risks it presents. The call for evidence is available at:
https://consult.education.gov.uk/digital-strategy/generative-artificial-intelligence-in-education/.
To ensure that the curriculum is taught to a high standard, the department has invested over £100 million in the creation of a National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE). To date, the NCCE’s achievements include managing a computing hub network and providing high quality training and resources to teachers, equipping over 7,900 teachers with the subject expertise they need to confidently teach the computer science GCSE.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of unregulated pornography websites on the (1) mental, and (2) physical, wellbeing of young people, particularly those who are vulnerable.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government commissioned research with the National Centre for Social Research, which was published in December 2022, to review evidence on the prevalence and impact of harmful content and activity to children, including pornography. The evidence in this report indicates that exposure to pornography may impact children’s perceptions of sex and relationships, and may lead to replication of practices found in pornography, increased likelihood of engaging in sexual activities and harmful or aggressive behaviour, and reduced concern for consent from partners.
That is why the Online Safety Bill will deliver comprehensive protections for children from pornography. The Bill will cover all online sites that offer pornography, including commercial pornography sites, social media, video sharing platforms, forums and search engines. These companies will have to prevent children from accessing pornography or face enforcement action. In addition, the Bill will require all in-scope providers to take preventative action to protect all users, including children and young people, from illegal content such as extreme pornography and revenge pornography.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any difference in the rates of language development between pre-school boys and girls.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not collect information with regard to the language development of children in pre-school. However, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework requires early years providers in England, ordinarily schools, to complete the EYFS Profile assessment at the end of the academic year in which children turn five years old, which is usually their reception year.
Each child’s level of development is assessed against 17 early learning goals (ELGs) across all 7 areas of learning in the EYFS, including communication and language. For each ELG, practitioners must assess whether a child is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS, or if they are not yet reaching this level and should be assessed as ‘emerging’.
The EYFS Profile results for the 2021/22 academic year show that 74.3% of boys were at the expected level of development in the ELGs within the communication and language area of learning, compared to 85.0% of girls. These results can be found in the attached document.
The statistics also include breakdowns by major ethnicity grouping and gender for the ELGs within the communication and language area of learning and the literacy area of learning. These statistics are available in the attached document.
To provide support for children’s early language development, particularly for those most disadvantaged, the government is investing over £28 million to provide targeted, intensive and evidence-based support to help parents chat, play and read with their young children. This investment is being delivered through the new 3 year family hubs programme which is being rolled out in 75 local authorities, with priority given to families that will benefit the most. This is supported by online resources that provide evidence-based, yet highly accessible advice and ideas for parents about literacy and early language activities for children at every stage between birth and five years old. These resources can be found at: https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/baby/learning-to-talk/learning-to-talk-0-to-6-months/.
Additionally, the department is providing a package of up to £180 million for workforce training, qualifications, expert guidance and targeted support for the early years sector to address the impact of the pandemic on the youngest and most disadvantaged children. As part of this, the Professional Development Programme Phase 3 (PDP3) has been made available to all local authorities in England and will train up to 10,000 early years professionals in communication and language. The department is also investing in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), improving the language skills of reception age children who need it the most. The programme targets children needing extra support with their speech and language development and is proven to help them make around three months of additional progress. The department estimates that the programme will reach at least 90,000 children.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they collect information on ethnicity in relation to the language development of pre-school boys and girls.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not collect information with regard to the language development of children in pre-school. However, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework requires early years providers in England, ordinarily schools, to complete the EYFS Profile assessment at the end of the academic year in which children turn five years old, which is usually their reception year.
Each child’s level of development is assessed against 17 early learning goals (ELGs) across all 7 areas of learning in the EYFS, including communication and language. For each ELG, practitioners must assess whether a child is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS, or if they are not yet reaching this level and should be assessed as ‘emerging’.
The EYFS Profile results for the 2021/22 academic year show that 74.3% of boys were at the expected level of development in the ELGs within the communication and language area of learning, compared to 85.0% of girls. These results can be found in the attached document.
The statistics also include breakdowns by major ethnicity grouping and gender for the ELGs within the communication and language area of learning and the literacy area of learning. These statistics are available in the attached document.
To provide support for children’s early language development, particularly for those most disadvantaged, the government is investing over £28 million to provide targeted, intensive and evidence-based support to help parents chat, play and read with their young children. This investment is being delivered through the new 3 year family hubs programme which is being rolled out in 75 local authorities, with priority given to families that will benefit the most. This is supported by online resources that provide evidence-based, yet highly accessible advice and ideas for parents about literacy and early language activities for children at every stage between birth and five years old. These resources can be found at: https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/baby/learning-to-talk/learning-to-talk-0-to-6-months/.
Additionally, the department is providing a package of up to £180 million for workforce training, qualifications, expert guidance and targeted support for the early years sector to address the impact of the pandemic on the youngest and most disadvantaged children. As part of this, the Professional Development Programme Phase 3 (PDP3) has been made available to all local authorities in England and will train up to 10,000 early years professionals in communication and language. The department is also investing in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), improving the language skills of reception age children who need it the most. The programme targets children needing extra support with their speech and language development and is proven to help them make around three months of additional progress. The department estimates that the programme will reach at least 90,000 children.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Prime Minister's remarks on 12 June about the UK becoming a global leader in AI, what assessment they have made of whether there is a skills gap which might impede this; and if so, what steps they are taking to address that gap.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In March 2023, the government published its plan to cement the UK’s position as a Science and Technology superpower. As part of this, the department identified five critical technologies to deliver prosperity and security for the UK, including artificial intelligence (AI). The plan can be found in the attached document.
To support this ambition, the department is working on a cross-government action plan on science and technology talent and skills with the Home Office, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Department for Business and Trade and the Cabinet Office. In 2023, the department is developing a departmental Skills Dashboard to understand the supply and demand of science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills for critical technologies, including AI.
Digital and computing skills will play an important role in this work. The department has made progress in recent years, for example this year’s provisional entries for Computer Science GCSEs and A levels show 12% and 14% growth respectively, the highest of all sciences. However, we recognise that there is more work to be done.
This is why the department has overhauled the outdated Information and Communications Technology (ICT) curriculum and replaced it with computing. The department has also invested over £100 million in the National Centre for Computing Education to inspire the next generation of computer scientists.
The department is also investing more in technical skills and education, with courses and training in digital subjects often at the forefront of our reforms. Digital T Levels, Higher Technical Qualifications, Apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps are ensuring we meet the skills needs for our priority technologies, including those increasingly needed for AI.
The department is building on these initiatives through the Digital and Computing Skills Education Taskforce which brings together government and external expertise to increase the numbers of individuals taking digital and computing qualifications in mainstream and tertiary education, and to attract individuals into digital jobs.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to reduce the risk of widening regional conflict emanating from the current situation in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The FCDO is monitoring the situation in Sudan closely, including the humanitarian and security impacts of the conflict on Sudan's neighbouring countries. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic avenues, including engagement with regional counterparts, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the African Union, to end the violence and de-escalate tensions in Sudan, and mitigate the effects of the conflict on the region. On 4 May, the UK Government announced an initial £5 million of life-saving aid to help meet the urgent needs of tens of thousands of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad who have fled the violence in Sudan.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to support refugees fleeing Sudan into neighbouring countries.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
On 4 May, the UK Government announced an initial £5 million allocation to help meet the urgent needs of tens of thousands of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad. This support will benefit the United Nation's Children's Fund, the World Food Programme and non-governmental organisations.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to communicate with British citizens in Sudan in the absence of internet and power for mobile phones.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The safety of all British nationals in Sudan remains our utmost priority, and the FCDO is working 24/7 to support remaining British nationals. This is a complex and fast-moving situation and there are issues with electricity supply and mobile and wi-fi signal. The FCDO is trying to reach British nationals in any way possible, from Facebook groups to text messages and phone calls. Information on communication flights has been clearly communicated through the media and reported on channels such as the BBC World Service. British nationals should check the latest Travel Advice. As of 2 May the UK has facilitated the departure of over 2300 passengers, of which over half were British nationals.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will work with (1) British NGOs based in Bangladesh, and (2) the Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK, in order to maximise the impact of emergency relief provision.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK delivers emergency relief in Bangladesh principally through Start Fund Bangladesh. The Fund is accessible to local, national, and international member non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Bangladesh to respond early to emergencies. We provided £195,000 to START Fund to support the response during the first wave of flooding in May. We contributed a further £442,500 after the second wave of flooding in June.