Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance is given to UK universities about the risk of (1) hostile state actors, and (2) a reliance on funding from Chinese students and the theft of research and intellectual property from campuses.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The government has developed bespoke advice, as part of the Trusted Research campaign, which will help UK universities and research institutions make informed decisions about international collaboration and, in doing so, protect their intellectual property, sensitive research and personal information. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) continue to work closely with the academic sector to improve their security practices and help protect academic establishments from threats.
The government welcomes international students to study in the UK. We recognise that they enhance our educational institutions both financially and culturally. They enrich the experience of domestic students and they become important ambassadors for the UK in later life. In the recently published ‘International Education Strategy’, the government set out its ambition to increase the number of international students in the UK to 600,000. This is underpinned by measures to support the sector to attract students from all over the globe, including the recently announced Graduate Route, which will enable institutions to recruit on a sustainable basis.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which government department is responsible for the supply of water to the Royal Naval Division memorial on Horse Guards Parade; and why that water does not run continuously.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
In 2015, the Department for Education took ownership of the Old Admiralty Building (OAB) freehold. One of the key responsibilities, linked to the freehold, is to act as the custodian of the Royal Naval Division memorial. As part of this, the department is responsible for the maintenance of the memorial.
Since taking the freehold, the department has been undertaking a major refurbishment of the OAB. This includes significant construction work and, to enable this, the building services have been temporarily disconnected/reduced.
The refurbishment programme is due to complete in November 2019. Once the building services are re-commissioned, the water supply to the memorial will be connected.
In early 2020, the freehold for the OAB will transfer to Government Property Agency and they will become the custodian of the Royal Naval Division memorial.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which government department owns the Royal Naval Division memorial on Horse Guards Parade; and which department is responsible for its upkeep.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
In 2015, the Department for Education took ownership of the Old Admiralty Building (OAB) freehold. One of the key responsibilities, linked to the freehold, is to act as the custodian of the Royal Naval Division memorial. As part of this, the department is responsible for the maintenance of the memorial.
Since taking the freehold, the department has been undertaking a major refurbishment of the OAB. This includes significant construction work and, to enable this, the building services have been temporarily disconnected/reduced.
The refurbishment programme is due to complete in November 2019. Once the building services are re-commissioned, the water supply to the memorial will be connected.
In early 2020, the freehold for the OAB will transfer to Government Property Agency and they will become the custodian of the Royal Naval Division memorial.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether children in schools are taught about the national flag, its history and development, and which way up to fly it.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Government believes that all young people should, as part of a broad and balanced education, acquire a firm grasp of the history of the country in which they live. That is why the history curriculum for key stages 1 to 3, which has been taught in maintained schools from September 2014, sets out the core knowledge that will enable pupils to know and understand the history of Britain from its first settlers to the development of the institutions that help to define our national life today.
Schools have the freedom to teach subjects beyond the content of the national curriculum, which may include teaching about the national flag.