Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to raise awareness of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021; and what plans they have to work with the White Ribbon charity as part of that work.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The ground-breaking Domestic Abuse Act received Royal Assent in April of this year. The Act will provide further protection to the millions of people who experience domestic abuse, strengthens the measures to bring perpetrators to justice and transforms the support we give to victims ensuring they have the protection they deserve.
The Home Office has worked with the sector to keep them appraised of the implementation of the Act. The Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, published in July of this year and informed by the 180,000 responses we received to our Call for Evidence also makes a commitment to a national communications campaign. We are also publishing a Domestic Abuse Strategy this year, to complement the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.
The Home Office is continually working across government to champion and coordinate with the charity sector on such vital issues.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools do not have a qualified teacher in a subject they offer.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Legislation does not specify that teachers must have a degree in a particular subject or discipline. It is the Teachers’ Standards that specify the subject knowledge required for the award of qualified teacher status. All trainee teachers must meet these by the time they complete their training.
Of the 2,957 state-funded secondary schools in England that supplied data on curriculum subjects taught and the subject of qualifications held by their teachers, there were 1,256 schools, equivalent to 42%, where at least one subject was taught for which none of its teachers held a relevant post A level qualifications in that subject.
The most common subjects where no teachers in a school held a relevant post A level qualification in the subject were: computing (293 schools); Spanish (271); media studies (225); ICT (206); religious education (153); citizenship (105) and engineering (105).
To reduce burden during the COVID-19 outbreak, schools were not required to provide information on teacher qualifications in 2020. Therefore, the information provided relates to the November 2019 School Workforce Census.
Information on subjects taught and teacher post A level qualifications is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children on school rolls have not returned to school since the beginning of the current school year; and how many of these are (1) asylum seekers, (2) refugees, or (3) in the care system.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold data on the number of children who have not returned to school since the beginning of the current school year.
Education is a protective factor for children in care and can be an important lifeline. That is why the department worked closely with local authorities across the country to make sure schools remained open for these pupils throughout national restrictions.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools have met the threshold specified in the Department for Education document Contingency framework: education and childcare settings for further steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within schools since the beginning of the academic year; and whether they will publish regular updates on this.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not collect the data in question and does not currently have any plans to publish regular updates on this. However, we closely review data, analysis and advice from a number of different sources – including the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, and the Office for National Statistics. We also continue to work closely with local authorities and their Directors of Public Health to inform our planning and response.
The contingency framework describes the principles of managing local outbreaks of COVID-19 in education and childcare settings and sets out the measures that settings should be prepared for if they were advised to take extra measures to help break chains of transmission. It also sets out thresholds for managing COVID-19 cases and when settings should consider seeking public health advice.
As the guidance outlines, local authorities, Directors of Public Health (DsPH) and health protection teams (HPTs) can recommend measures described in the framework in individual education and childcare settings as part of their outbreak management responsibilities.
We have worked with the UKSHA to develop the thresholds outlined in the contingency framework. These are designed to help settings identify when it might be sensible to seek public health advice when it appears that COVID-19 might be spreading between people who closely mix in the setting. Identifying a group that is likely to have mixed closely will be different for each setting.
DsPH or HPTs will give settings advice reflecting the local situation. In areas where rates are high, this may include advice that local circumstances mean that the thresholds for extra action can be higher than set out in the contingency framework. This will take into account a range of factors reflecting the setting’s particular situation and local circumstances. If they judge that additional action should be taken, they might advise the setting to take some or all of the other measures described in the contingency framework.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what modelling they have conducted on the impact of ending the £20 uplift for Universal Credit on (1) homelessness, (2) poverty, and (3) food bank usage; and what the modelling predicted the impact would be for each issue.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the impact of removing the £20 uplift on poverty or related issues. This is due to the uncertainty around the speed and distribution of the economic recovery.
The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
The latest poverty figures (2019/20) demonstrate that absolute poverty rates (both before and after housing costs) for working-age adults in working families have fallen since 2009/10. In 2019/20, 8% of working age adults in working families were in absolute poverty (before housing costs), compared to 9% in 2009/10.
There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty.
Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. Our Plan is working, as we see record numbers of job vacancies and numbers of employees on payrolls back at pre-pandemic levels.
However, we recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country will now be able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund will provide £421 million to help vulnerable people in England and allocations to individual local authorities are set out below. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how much poverty will rise in the worst-case scenario from any modelling they have conducted on the impact of ending the £20 uplift for Universal Credit.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the impact of removing the Universal Credit uplift on poverty or related issues. This is particularly the case at the moment given the uncertainty around the speed of the economic recovery, and how this will be distributed across the population.
The latest poverty figures (2019/20) demonstrate that absolute poverty rates (both before and after housing costs) for working-age adults in working families have fallen since 2009/10. In 2019/20, 8% of working age adults in working families were in absolute poverty (before housing costs), compared to 9% in 2009/10.
The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work.
Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.
This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, and continues to do so through many measures, including by increasing the living wage, and by spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22.
This year, we are also investing up to £220m in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has been expanded to every Local Authority across England. Participating children will benefit from a range of support, including a healthy and nutritious meal as well as fun and engaging activities covering the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021. We also increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25 in April, which helps eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how much homelessness will rise in the worst-case scenario from any modelling they have conducted on the impact of ending the £20 uplift for Universal Credit.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
No impact assessments have been made.
Discretionary Housing Payments provide critical support to vulnerable claimants, including those who are at risk of homelessness, that need help with their housing costs.
For 2021-22 the Government has made available £140m in Discretionary Housing Payments funding for local authorities in England and Wales. In 2020-21 we boosted investment in the Local Housing Allowance by almost £1 billion and have maintained rates in cash terms for 2021-22. In addition, earlier this year we extended the exemptions from the shared accommodation rate of Local Housing Allowance for care leavers and those who have spent at least three months in a homeless hostel. From 31st May 2021 the care leavers exemption applies up to age 25 and the homeless hostel exemption applies up to age 35.
The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work.
Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how much food bank usage will rise in the worst-case scenario from any modelling they have conducted on the impact of ending the £20 uplift for Universal Credit.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
No assessment has been made. Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in their operation. There is no consistent and accurate measure of food bank usage at a constituency or national level.
The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the Universal Credit uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced with the success of the vaccine rollout. Now the economy is reopening and as we continue to progress with our recovery our focus is on helping people back into work.
Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.
This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, and continues to do so through many measures, including by increasing the living wage, and by spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22.
This year, we are also investing up to £220m in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has been expanded to every Local Authority across England. Participating children will benefit from a range of support, including a healthy and nutritious meal as well as fun and engaging activities covering the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021. We also increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25 in April, which helps eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many jobs have been created by the Kickstart Scheme in (1) England, and (2) each English region.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
We are pleased to say that, as of the 8th September, over 69,000 young people have started Kickstart jobs. Over 188,000 jobs have been made available for young people to apply for through the Kickstart Scheme with over 281,000 jobs approved for funding by the Scheme.
In England, over 163,000 jobs have been made available for young people to apply for as well as over 59,000 starts. The table below lists the number of Kickstart jobs which have been made available and started by young people to date by English region. The figures used are correct as of the 8th September and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards.
Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.
The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Location | Jobs Made Available | Total Jobs Started |
East Midlands | 11,900 | 4,170 |
East of England | 14,900 | 4,870 |
London | 38,400 | 15,170 |
North East | 7,500 | 3,170 |
North West | 24,000 | 8,830 |
South East | 21,700 | 7,460 |
South West | 14,000 | 4,660 |
West Midlands | 16,900 | 6,150 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 14,600 | 5,250 |
*These numbers are rounded and so may not match provided totals. Jobs Made Available include 1,000 non-grant funded vacancies and Total Starts include around 900 starts to non-grant funded jobs |
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Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Universal Credit claimants are (1) black, (2) Asian, (3) other ethnic minority, (4) white, (5) male, and (6) female.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
From the latest provisional statistics published on Stat-Xplore, of the 6.01 million people on Universal Credit on 13 May 2021, 2.85 million are male and 3.16 million are female.
Universal Credit claimants have the opportunity to complete a survey containing diversity questions, including regarding their ethnicity, however answering these questions is not compulsory and the data available does not reach the threshold to be published.