Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they give to state-maintained schools in England concerning the need to strip asbestos from school buildings.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department takes the issue of asbestos in schools seriously, and is committed to supporting schools, local councils and academy trusts to fulfil their duty to manage asbestos safely.
The department’s advice to schools, local councils and academy trusts on management of asbestos is contained in the attached Asbestos Management in Schools guidance also published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asbestos-management-in-schools--2.
The guidance provides information on the action duty holders should take in order to prevent pupils and staff being exposed to asbestos. The guidance makes clear that the removal of asbestos should take place only if asbestos containing materials are in poor condition and advises on the risks of unsafe removal. This is in line with the Health and Safety Executive advice that as long as asbestos-containing materials are undamaged, encapsulated and not in locations where they are vulnerable to damage, they should be managed in situ. The guidance also advises on actions that duty holders must take where work is carried out on the premises which might disturb asbestos containing materials (including asbestos removal).
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for the devolved administrations arising from the new apprenticeship funding model.
Answered by Lord Nash
The devolved administrations will receive a fair share of the money raised by the levy and it will then be for them to decide how to use it in their own administrations. We are also working with the devolved administrations to ensure that funding for apprenticeships works for employers and learners wherever they are in the UK. The funding policy we announced on 25 October will allow employers in England to use their levy funds to train apprentices from elsewhere in the UK, provided they are working in England. We are aiming to agree reciprocal arrangements with devolved administrations.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to make available the teaching of the Welsh language in schools in England.
Answered by Lord Nash
Primary and secondary schools can choose to teach the Welsh language to pupils if there is sufficient demand. It is possible for a pupil in England to take privately a Welsh language GCSE offered in Wales if an examination centre is willing to accept them. This will include a revised Welsh Second Language GCSE available for first teaching from September 2017.