Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what investments they are making to enhance the capacity of the Armed Forces, including modernization of equipment, training and recruitment.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The MOD has set out plans to enhance the capacity of the Armed Forces, details of which can be found in the Defence Command Paper Refresh which was published on 18 July 2023.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to enhance bilateral relations with the United States; and what priorities they have identified for cooperation on key global challenges.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Earlier this year, the PM and President Biden agreed a first-of-its-kind economic partnership, the 'Atlantic Declaration', which will see our countries work together more closely than ever before ensuring US-UK leadership in critical and emerging technologies, closer cooperation on our economic security, partnering on digital transformation, and building the clean energy economy of the future. The US-UK relationship remains strong and we are united by decades of unrivalled security and defence cooperation. We continue to work with the US Administration to deepen and strengthen our vital economic and trading partnership, advance mutual priorities and shape the global trade agenda.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to deepen relations with New Zealand; and what common objectives have been identified for advancing cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has strong relations with New Zealand through our modern partnership built on shared values and history. The partnership is reinforced by close friendship, prosperity and people-to-people links, Commonwealth membership and cultural exchange. HMG is in regular contact with counterparts in New Zealand to advance cooperation on a broad range of issues including trade, security and development. We look forward to continuing to deepen our cooperation with New Zealand's new government.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to increase the availability of non-invasive cancer treatment technologies.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service continues to increase investment in minimally invasive cancer therapies, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy services. Since April 2022, the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has sat with local systems. This is supported by the 2021 Spending Review, which set aside £12 billion in operational capital for the NHS from 2022 to 2025.
The adoption of new treatments, including increasing the number of minimally invasive cancer treatments and technologies, into the NHS in England is generally the result of National Institution of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance and commissioner decisions. Both NHS England and integrated care boards are required to put in place access for any treatment that carries a positive recommendation from the Technology Appraisal programme, operated by NICE.
Where treatments are approved by NICE through the Technology Appraisals programme, the National Health Service is required to make them available within agreed timescales, which vary by technology. Implementation of any NICE approvals will be supported by the service readiness assessment and the development of additional capacity where necessary.
NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning team has been undertaking work to expand the number of providers offering minimally invasive cancer therapies, such as selective internal radiation therapy. The market engagement and Prior Information Notice aspects of this have now been completed, with regional teams now putting in place the necessary contractual arrangements with NHS trusts.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) strengthen, and (2) protect, the UK's borders.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office priority will always be to keep our citizens safe and our borders secure and we will not compromise on this.
Border Force officers work tirelessly to protect our borders at 140 sea and airports right across the UK, working closely with law enforcement agencies to share intelligence.
The Home Office has a clear long-term vision to transform the UK Border.
This includes making visible changes to security, flow and passenger experience by harnessing new technical solutions for automation and focusing Border Force Officers' expertise on high harm cases.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the education system remains globally competitive.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is dedicated to improving the education system to improve outcomes for children and young people, and this will help maintain its global competitiveness.
A key part of this is our relentless focus on driving up education standards to deliver better outcomes. In 2023, primary aged children in England came 4th out of 43 countries which tested pupils of the same age, in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, making them the best in the western world at reading. In 2019, primary aged pupils in England achieved their highest ever score in mathematics in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, a significant improvement compared to 2015.
At secondary level, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment 2018 results showed that 15-year-olds in England performed above the OECD averages for reading, mathematics, and science. Since 2009, 15-year-olds in England have climbed 10 places in reading and mathematics.
This government is committed to creating a world-leading skills system which is employer-focused, high-quality, and fit for the future. Our reforms are strengthening higher and further education to help more people get good jobs and upskill and retrain throughout their lives; and to improve national productivity. This includes increasing opportunities for people to develop higher technical skills through T Levels, Apprenticeship Standards, Skills Bootcamps, or Higher Technical Qualifications. All of which have been developed hand in glove with thousands of employers and introduced under this government.
From 2025, the Lifelong Learning Entitlement will transform access to further and higher education, offering all adults the equivalent of four years’ worth of student loans to use flexibly on quality education training over their lifetime. The department will introduce the Advanced British Standard (ABS) for 16-19 year-olds, a new Baccalaureate-style qualification that takes the best of A levels and T Levels and brings them together into a single qualification.
The ABS will increase the number of taught hours by an extra 15% for most 16-19 students, increasing the average number of subjects students take and ensuring that all students continue to study mathematics and English. This will give students greater breadth of knowledge and bring us more in line with other countries. The department will make an initial downpayment now to support the ABS, which will focus on recruiting and retaining teachers in shortage subjects and providing better resources for teachers and pupils.
Since 2010, the department has driven up standards in education, and created more opportunities to gain new skills that businesses truly value. So whatever age or stage of life people are at they can access high-quality opportunities to get ahead in their chosen career.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote social cohesion and understanding between the devolved administrations.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
This Government is committed to a vision of British society where people – whatever their background – live, work, learn and socialise together, based on shared rights, responsibilities, and opportunities. A more cohesive society leads to lower levels of prejudice and hate crime, and greater opportunities for all, creating socially and economically stronger and more confident communities.
While the policy area and many of the policy functions related to community cohesion are essentially a devolved matter, there is a clear need for engagement with the devolved administrations on this topic. We therefore regularly seek opportunities to have discussions on our understanding of shared problems and the actions we can take to address them, including through forums such as the British Irish Council, the next of which is taking place in Dublin this week.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to respond to the publication of the 44th Report by the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee on 22 June, in order to clarify (1) whether, and (2) how, a parent in Northern Ireland can excuse their child from Relationships and Sexuality Education.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has welcomed the report by the House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee.
The Relationships and Sexuality Education (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 place a duty on the Northern Ireland Department of Education to introduce regulations to ensure that a pupil may be withdrawn from education on sexual and reproductive health and rights or elements of that education, at the request of a parent. This follows the approach taken in England and Scotland.
The Northern Ireland Department of Education has confirmed it will consult on both the guidance and the provisions for the circumstances in which a pupil may be excused from the education or specified elements of that education.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of cybersecurity professionals in the UK.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As part of the Government's £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy, the Government is delivering a range of ambitious programmes to boost the number of people with the skills needed to enter the cyber workforce.
Northern Ireland is a global cyber security hub, with ambition to grow its cyber security workforce to exceed 5,000 professionals by 2030. As part of an £18.9 million investment in Northern Ireland’s cyber security industry the Government is funding a Doctoral training programme and Masters bursaries at Queen's University Belfast to support the development of talent for Northern’s Ireland’s cyber sector.
To help people with the necessary aptitude to enter the cyber workforce across the whole of the UK we offer free cyber skills bootcamps through the Government’s ‘Skills for Life’ scheme, including the current “Upskill in Cyber” reskilling programme.
To inspire young people towards a career in cyber and tech, the Government’s Cyber Explorers programme supports teachers to energise 11-14 year olds across the UK. This has seen over 2,000 schools sign up for the programme in its first phase, alongside the National Cyber Security Centre-led ‘CyberFirst’ competitions and degree bursaries.
The Government has worked with industry and other partners to create the UK Cyber Security Council as the new professional body for cyber security. The Council will clearly define quality pathways into and through a cyber career, making a cyber career more attractive to both the current and future workforce.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds have equal access to digital learning resources and technology.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Schools are responsible for making decisions about what technology to buy to meet their pupils’ needs, and how best to use it support their teaching.
The government delivered over 1.95 million laptops and tablets to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education (FE) providers for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £520 million government investment to support access to remote education and online social care services. These laptops and tablets are now owned by schools, trusts, local authorities or FE providers, who can lend them to children and young people who need them the most. These laptops and tablets were an injection of support on top of the estimated 2.9 million that were already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Building on its success in the pandemic, Oak National Academy was established as an arm’s length body on 1 September 2022, working independently of the government and collaboratively with the education sector. Oak aims to support teachers to improve curriculum delivery, reduce workload and support improved pupil outcomes, and continues to provide a remote education contingency. Oak will work with teachers across the country, giving them and their pupils access to free, optional, and adaptable high-quality digital curriculum resources.
The government has provided over £2.6 billion of pupil premium funding in the 2022/23 financial year to support pupils from lower income families. Rates will increase by 5% for 2023/24, taking total pupil premium funding to £2.9 billion. As set out in the menu of approaches, schools can use both pupil premium and recovery premium on technology and other resources that support high quality teaching.
Social tariffs offer low-cost landline and broadband services for those on certain means tested benefits. The government is encouraging those providers who do not currently offer social tariff packages, to do so. A range of affordable tariffs, designed specifically to support low-income families, are now available to 99% of UK households. BT, Virgin Media O2, Sky, Vodafone, and other providers offer broadband and mobile social tariffs for as little as £10 per month, representing a significant saving for households in receipt of Universal Credit and other means tested benefits.
In addition, the government secured a range of commitments from the UK’s major broadband and mobile providers to support families through the global rise in the cost of living. These commitments include more manageable payment plans, switching to a cheaper package free of charge, or taking a more affordable social tariff if the customer is eligible. The government encourages people to contact their provider to see what support is available. Awareness and take up of social tariffs need to improve. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with the sector to urge those providers who have yet to offer a social tariff to do so, and for the industry to ensure that offers are publicised.