Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, for each academic year since 2018–19, how many of the foundation year students who enrolled for degrees in price group D, were enrolled for degrees in (1) business subjects, and (2) social studies.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The data for all three tables below cover English-domiciled foundation year students studying at approved fee cap English higher education (HE) institutions and further education (FE) colleges.
The data is currently unpublished and is based on internal department analysis of Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data. As such, figures are rounded to the nearest five in line with the following HESA guidance: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/about/regulation/data-protection/rounding-and-suppression-anonymise-statistics.
The price group data for the 2018/19 academic year is not directly comparable to price group data for the following academic years because of a change in the system for classifying subjects from the 2019/20 academic year onwards.
The number of students enrolled onto one-year foundation courses is shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants studying one-year courses at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year.
Academic Year | Number of students undertaking a one-year foundation year course |
2018/19 | 35,995 |
2019/20 | 43,395 |
2020/21 | 53,590 |
2021/22 | 69,325 |
The number of foundation year students studying in each of the different price groups since the 2018/19 academic year is shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year shown by price group.
| Academic Year | |||
Price Group | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
B | 9,315 | 10,585 | 9,510 | 11,260 |
C1.1 | 2,220 | 2,450 | 2,700 | 2,900 |
C1.2 | 2,475 | 2,470 | 2,860 | 3,160 |
C2 | 4,870 | 7,105 | 9,440 | 10,905 |
D | 15,065 | 20,785 | 29,070 | 41,090 |
The number of students studying a foundation year in a business and management or social sciences degree for each academic year since 2018/19 is shown in Table 3.
Table 3: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants studying business and management and social science degrees at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year.
Academic Year | ||||
Subject | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
Business and management studies | 8,900 | 13,600 | 23,420 | 35,585 |
Social sciences | 3,855 | 6,265 | 6,345 | 6,915 |
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, for each academic year since 2018–19, how many students were enrolled in one-year foundation year courses in English higher education institutions.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The data for all three tables below cover English-domiciled foundation year students studying at approved fee cap English higher education (HE) institutions and further education (FE) colleges.
The data is currently unpublished and is based on internal department analysis of Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data. As such, figures are rounded to the nearest five in line with the following HESA guidance: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/about/regulation/data-protection/rounding-and-suppression-anonymise-statistics.
The price group data for the 2018/19 academic year is not directly comparable to price group data for the following academic years because of a change in the system for classifying subjects from the 2019/20 academic year onwards.
The number of students enrolled onto one-year foundation courses is shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants studying one-year courses at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year.
Academic Year | Number of students undertaking a one-year foundation year course |
2018/19 | 35,995 |
2019/20 | 43,395 |
2020/21 | 53,590 |
2021/22 | 69,325 |
The number of foundation year students studying in each of the different price groups since the 2018/19 academic year is shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year shown by price group.
| Academic Year | |||
Price Group | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
B | 9,315 | 10,585 | 9,510 | 11,260 |
C1.1 | 2,220 | 2,450 | 2,700 | 2,900 |
C1.2 | 2,475 | 2,470 | 2,860 | 3,160 |
C2 | 4,870 | 7,105 | 9,440 | 10,905 |
D | 15,065 | 20,785 | 29,070 | 41,090 |
The number of students studying a foundation year in a business and management or social sciences degree for each academic year since 2018/19 is shown in Table 3.
Table 3: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants studying business and management and social science degrees at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year.
Academic Year | ||||
Subject | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
Business and management studies | 8,900 | 13,600 | 23,420 | 35,585 |
Social sciences | 3,855 | 6,265 | 6,345 | 6,915 |
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what organisations or persons have a duty to enforce the equalities obligations of local authorities towards persons with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
It is the role of each local authority’s Monitoring Officer to report to the local authority where it appears to them the authority has done, or is about to do, anything which would contravene the law - including contravention of its duties under the Equality Act 2010 - or would amount to maladministration, at all times.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is charged by Parliament with the investigation of complaints from members of the public who have suffered personal injustice arising from maladministration by local authorities, including injustice arising from failure to uphold the local authority’s obligations under the Equality Act 2010, once an authority’s formal complaints process has been exhausted. Information regarding how to raise a complaint with the Ombudsman and the types of faults the Ombudsman will investigate may be found on its website at; www.lgo.org.uk.
The Ombudsman is independent in matters relating to the investigation and reporting of complaints. Decisions are published on the Ombudsman’s website as well as thematic focus reports to highlight common or systemic concerns.
Where the Ombudsman finds no maladministration or cannot investigate, a member of the public who disagrees with the decision of their local authority may seek judicial review of the local authority’s decision through the courts. I would however advise anyone considering taking legal action to seek independent legal advice before doing so.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman about the equalities duties of local authorities.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
It is the role of each local authority’s Monitoring Officer to report to the local authority where it appears to them the authority has done, or is about to do, anything which would contravene the law - including contravention of its duties under the Equality Act 2010 - or would amount to maladministration, at all times.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is charged by Parliament with the investigation of complaints from members of the public who have suffered personal injustice arising from maladministration by local authorities, including injustice arising from failure to uphold the local authority’s obligations under the Equality Act 2010, once an authority’s formal complaints process has been exhausted. Information regarding how to raise a complaint with the Ombudsman and the types of faults the Ombudsman will investigate may be found on its website at; www.lgo.org.uk.
The Ombudsman is independent in matters relating to the investigation and reporting of complaints. Decisions are published on the Ombudsman’s website as well as thematic focus reports to highlight common or systemic concerns.
Where the Ombudsman finds no maladministration or cannot investigate, a member of the public who disagrees with the decision of their local authority may seek judicial review of the local authority’s decision through the courts. I would however advise anyone considering taking legal action to seek independent legal advice before doing so.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how someone in England with at least one protected characteristic who considers that their local authority is in breach of its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 can escalate a complaint once the local authority complaints process has been exhausted.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
It is the role of each local authority’s Monitoring Officer to report to the local authority where it appears to them the authority has done, or is about to do, anything which would contravene the law - including contravention of its duties under the Equality Act 2010 - or would amount to maladministration, at all times.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is charged by Parliament with the investigation of complaints from members of the public who have suffered personal injustice arising from maladministration by local authorities, including injustice arising from failure to uphold the local authority’s obligations under the Equality Act 2010, once an authority’s formal complaints process has been exhausted. Information regarding how to raise a complaint with the Ombudsman and the types of faults the Ombudsman will investigate may be found on its website at; www.lgo.org.uk.
The Ombudsman is independent in matters relating to the investigation and reporting of complaints. Decisions are published on the Ombudsman’s website as well as thematic focus reports to highlight common or systemic concerns.
Where the Ombudsman finds no maladministration or cannot investigate, a member of the public who disagrees with the decision of their local authority may seek judicial review of the local authority’s decision through the courts. I would however advise anyone considering taking legal action to seek independent legal advice before doing so.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 20 November 2020 (HL10411), whether they will now answer the question put, namely what steps citizens can take to ensure that local authorities are reviewing air quality.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Local authorities have a statutory duty to review and assess air quality in their areas. Local authorities will determine what monitoring is necessary and decide where monitoring takes place with regard to statutory Local Air Quality Management guidance. Under the Local Air Quality Management Framework local authorities are expected to produce and publish annual air quality status reports which are to be submitted annually to Defra. Defra assesses these annual status reports and expects local authorities to take any comments or requirements made by Defra into account.
Local authorities are primarily responsible to their local electorates and will have their own complaints processes. Citizens with concerns or complaints about the way in which a local authority undertakes local air quality statutory duties are therefore advised to raise the issue with the local authority. Ultimately a local authority failing to fulfil statutory duties could be taken to court by interested parties. If a local authority fails to discharge its statutory air quality duties set out in the Environment Act 1995 the Secretary of State of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has the power to direct a local authority to take such steps as may be specified in the directions.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 20 November 2020 (HL10409), what organisation is responsible for dealing with complaints resulting from the annual air quality report produced by local authorities in England.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Local authorities have a statutory duty to review and assess air quality in their areas. Local authorities will determine what monitoring is necessary and decide where monitoring takes place with regard to statutory Local Air Quality Management guidance. Under the Local Air Quality Management Framework local authorities are expected to produce and publish annual air quality status reports which are to be submitted annually to Defra. Defra assesses these annual status reports and expects local authorities to take any comments or requirements made by Defra into account.
Local authorities are primarily responsible to their local electorates and will have their own complaints processes. Citizens with concerns or complaints about the way in which a local authority undertakes local air quality statutory duties are therefore advised to raise the issue with the local authority. Ultimately a local authority failing to fulfil statutory duties could be taken to court by interested parties. If a local authority fails to discharge its statutory air quality duties set out in the Environment Act 1995 the Secretary of State of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has the power to direct a local authority to take such steps as may be specified in the directions.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 23 October (HL9102), whether the Local Air Quality Management framework requires that local authorities monitor air quality in streets into which traffic has been displaced by road closures.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Local Air Quality Management Framework is set out in Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. It requires local authorities to review and assess air quality within their boundaries, and to produce an annual report detailing any monitoring results and any air pollution issues they have identified. This includes assessing impacts of traffic measures which may include monitoring. Where an objective for a specific pollutant is exceeded the local authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area and produce an Air Quality Action Plan to address the exceedance.
Annual reports must be made available to the public and will usually be accessible on the local authority’s website. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provides support for local authorities to carry out their statutory duties under the framework via statutory guidance and a dedicated helpline.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 23 October (HL9101), whether the procedures local authorities should refer to in carrying out Equality Impact Assessment are publicly available; what assessment they have made of the timeframe in which Equality Impact Assessments should be carried out following an experimental road closure; and what steps (1) they, or (2) other affected parties, can take to ensure that such assessments are carried out.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Equality and Human Rights Commission have published the guidance document “Meeting the Equality Duty in Policy and Decision-Making” which is available to all public authorities. Their guide provides advice on how to assess the potential impact on people with protected characteristics of a public authority’s functions, including its policies, practices and decisions.
The Local Air Quality Management Framework is set out in Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. It requires local authorities to review and assess air quality within their boundaries, and to produce an annual report detailing any monitoring results and any air pollution issues they have identified. Where an objective for a specific pollutant is exceeded the local authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area and produce an Air Quality Action Plan to address the exceedance.
Annual reports must be made available to the public and will usually be accessible on the local authority’s website. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provides support for local authorities to carry out their statutory duties under the framework via statutory guidance and a dedicated helpline.
Local traffic authorities have a statutory duty, under the Traffic Management Act 2004, to manage their networks with the aim of ‘securing the expeditious movement of traffic’. They are responsible for using their knowledge of traffic conditions and the road network in their area to decide on appropriate traffic management policies that balance the needs of local residents, emergency services, local businesses, and those who work in and visit the area. The Department has recently published statutory network management duty guidance for local authorities which emphasises the importance of consultation on road closures and other schemes.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 23 October (HL9102), what assessment they have made of the consistency of a local authority’s decision not to monitor air quality data for road closures funded by the Emergency Active Travel Fund with the Local Air Quality Management framework.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Equality and Human Rights Commission have published the guidance document “Meeting the Equality Duty in Policy and Decision-Making” which is available to all public authorities. Their guide provides advice on how to assess the potential impact on people with protected characteristics of a public authority’s functions, including its policies, practices and decisions.
The Local Air Quality Management Framework is set out in Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. It requires local authorities to review and assess air quality within their boundaries, and to produce an annual report detailing any monitoring results and any air pollution issues they have identified. Where an objective for a specific pollutant is exceeded the local authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area and produce an Air Quality Action Plan to address the exceedance.
Annual reports must be made available to the public and will usually be accessible on the local authority’s website. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provides support for local authorities to carry out their statutory duties under the framework via statutory guidance and a dedicated helpline.
Local traffic authorities have a statutory duty, under the Traffic Management Act 2004, to manage their networks with the aim of ‘securing the expeditious movement of traffic’. They are responsible for using their knowledge of traffic conditions and the road network in their area to decide on appropriate traffic management policies that balance the needs of local residents, emergency services, local businesses, and those who work in and visit the area. The Department has recently published statutory network management duty guidance for local authorities which emphasises the importance of consultation on road closures and other schemes.