Marquess of Lothian Portrait

Marquess of Lothian

Conservative - Life peer

Became Member: 22nd November 2010


Marquess of Lothian is not a member of any APPGs
Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament
21st Sep 2017 - 8th Oct 2019
Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament
14th Sep 2015 - 12th May 2016
Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament
7th Dec 2010 - 30th Mar 2015
Joint Committee on Security
7th Dec 2010 - 5th Sep 2011
Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament
26th Jan 2006 - 6th May 2010
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
10th May 2005 - 6th Dec 2005
Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party
18th Sep 2001 - 6th Dec 2005
Shadow Foreign Secretary
18th Sep 2001 - 10th May 2005
Shadow Minister without Portfolio
2nd Dec 1998 - 18th Sep 2001
Party Chair, Conservative Party
2nd Dec 1998 - 18th Sep 2001
Deputy Chair, Conservative Party
2nd Jun 1998 - 2nd Dec 1998
Shadow Secretary of State
11th Jun 1997 - 2nd Jun 1998
Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
11th Jan 1994 - 2nd May 1997
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
27th May 1993 - 5th Jan 1994
Public Accounts Committee
27th Apr 1992 - 26th Jul 1993
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scottish Office)
13th Jun 1983 - 14th Jun 1987


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Marquess of Lothian has voted in 134 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
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Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
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Department Debates
Ministry of Defence
(1 debate contributions)
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Legislation Debates
Marquess of Lothian has not made any spoken contributions to legislative debate
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Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Marquess of Lothian, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


Marquess of Lothian has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Marquess of Lothian has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 50 Written Questions

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Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
1 Other Department Questions
10th Mar 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had any discussions with (1) the Musicians’ Union, or (2) the BBC, in regard to the BBC’s new strategy for classical music announced on 7 March, which included a reduction of roles in the BBC's Symphony, Concert and Philharmonic orchestras and the closure of the BBC Singers.

Operational and editorial decisions are independent of Government and are a matter for the BBC.

DCMS Ministers met the BBC on 22 March to discuss a range of issues, including latest developments regarding the BBC’s classical music strategy, announced on 7 March.

The BBC has today announced that it will suspend the proposal to close the BBC Singers, and will continue to engage with the Musicians' Union and the other BBC Unions about its proposals regarding the BBC's English Orchestras.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
8th Dec 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister last spoke to the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Prime Minister spoke to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 5 December 2023. A readout is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-call-with-prime-minister-netanyahu-of-israel-5-december-2023.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
17th May 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what are their key priorities for the forthcoming G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan on 19 to 21 May.

As the Prime Minister’s Statement to the House of Commons on 22 May set out at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, the UK: led the way in supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes; took action on economic security and resilience; stood united with allies on China’s generational challenge; championed sustainable development; and secured commitments to collaborate on the challenge of illegal migration.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
7th Jul 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister met Aleksandr Lebedev in Italy in 2018 without his officials present whilst he was Foreign Secretary; and what was discussed during that meeting.

My Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister has committed to write to the Liaison Committee on this and other matters raised with him during his appearance. A copy of that letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
7th Jul 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many current members of the Senior Civil Service were recruited via the Fast Stream; and why they have paused the Civil Service Fast Stream recruitment in 2022/23 for the 2023 intake.

The Fast Stream is a talent pipeline for government departments and professions. It is only right we pause bringing in candidates as departments set out how they might achieve the government’s commitment to return the Civil Service to the size it was in 2016.

Whilst we pause the Fast Stream for the 2023 intake, we will take the opportunity to further improve the Fast Stream offer. This reform will ensure that when the scheme reopens, it is focused on driving up specialist skills in the Civil Service, as well as improving the regional representation of the Fast Stream.

Information provided by departments to the Cabinet Office shows that as of 1st April 2021, 890 Senior Civil Servants were reported to have been successful in the central Fast Stream selection process. This represents 20% of all Senior Civil Servants (as a percentage of all members where information has been reported by the department as known).

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
25th Nov 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to publicise the Global Talent Visa programme to potential applicants, particularly to scientists; and how they plan to measure their progress towards securing the UK’s status as a Science and Tech Superpower by 2030, as promised in Global Britain in a competitive age: The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, published on 16 March.

The Office for Talent, with other government departments, is developing the GREAT campaign to attract those working in science and technology and inspire them to live and work in the United Kingdom. This will include highlighting the Global Talent visa route. The Home Office works hard to ensure the UK’s immigration rules are clear and accessible and our visa system is easy to navigate for those who want to come to the UK.

The Prime Minister has put his science and technology superpower ambitions at the heart of government business by setting up the new National Science & Technology Council (NSTC). The new Office for Science & Technology Strategy in the Cabinet Office will inform and deliver the NSTC’s vision - this includes monitoring the impact of its decisions on the UK’s status as a science and technology superpower. The Government Office for Science’s Technology and Science Insights team will provide independent and objective analysis to support this work.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
10th Sep 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government how often the taskforce set up with the United States of America to discuss the establishment of a travel corridor has met; and what progress has been made on agreeing a date to open such a corridor.

The Prime Minister and US President announced the establishment of a UK/US Expert Working Group on international travel following their meeting on 10 June 2021. Since then, the group met in full regularly over the summer to discuss the reopening of travel between the UK and US, as well as further engagement between the UK and US chairs, our embassy in Washington, and technical discussions.

Facilitated by the UK/US Working Group, the UK reopened travel for double vaccinated US residents on 2 August, meaning that they no longer need to self isolate on arrival into the UK.

On 20 September, the US announced that they will allow double vaccinated British nationals to enter the US from November, completing the fully vaccinated travel corridor. Travellers will need proof of full vaccination and a negative COVID test taken three days before departure and will not need to quarantine.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
22nd Apr 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reform the Ministerial Code to take greater account of ministerial communication by (1) text, (2) Signal, (3) WhatsApp, and (4) other encrypted messaging services.

Ministers’ formal meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on gov.uk.

Ministers will have informal conversations from time to time, in person or remotely, and significant content relating to government business from such discussions is passed back to officials.

Ministers will use a range of digital forms of communication for discussions in line with relevant guidance on information handling and security.

The Cabinet Office has previously published guidance on how information is held for the purposes of access to information, and how formal decisions are recorded for the official record. Ministers are also given advice on the security of electronic communications.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
16th Apr 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to appoint a new Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests; and why that post has remained vacant since the resignation of Sir Alex Allan in November 2020.

The Prime Minister yesterday announced the appointment of Rt Hon Lord Geidt to serve as the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests. Lord Geidt is a Crossbench Member of the House of Lords, a Privy Councillor and a former Private Secretary to The Queen. He brings a distinguished record of impartial public service and experience of Government to bear on the appointment.

The Prime Minister has agreed Terms of Reference for the role with Lord Geidt. These have been published on Gov.uk and will be deposited in the House libraries.

As part of these new Terms of Reference, and taking into account the recommendations of the Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, the Independent Adviser will now have the authority to advise on the initiation of investigations.



Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
11th Feb 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Freedom of Information (FOI) requests they have not responded to within 20 working days; and whether they have any plans to improve the efficiency of the FOI request system.

The Cabinet Office publishes information on the handling of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests across Government on a quarterly basis on Gov.uk.

Covid-19 has put particular pressures on public officials, but as the published figures demonstrate that between July and September 2020, departments received around 8,000 freedom of information requests and responded to almost 90% of them within 20 working days or with a permitted extension. This reflects the Government’s commitment to fulfill its freedom of information obligations, despite the pressures of responding to COVID-19.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
14th Jan 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister last spoke to President Trump.

The Prime Minister last spoke to the President of the United States on 7 October 2020 to wish him a speedy recovery from Covid-19.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
14th Jan 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enable further Parliamentary scrutiny of the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement

The Government is committed to facilitating appropriate parliamentary oversight of the UK’s relationship with the EU and is carefully considering appropriate scrutiny processes.

The House of Lords scrutinised the TCA further in an extensive debate on 8 January, and Ministers will continue to engage with the appropriate Select Committees in the coming weeks.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
4th Jun 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the fourth factsheet of the UK COVID-19 news and information project published by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism on 1 June, what assessment they have made of the results of the survey fielded from 21–27 May which reported that trust in Her Majesty's Government as a source of information about COVID-19 had “declined substantially since April”, and which showed a “significant increase in the percentage of people who say they are concerned about false or misleading information about coronavirus from the UK government”; and how they intend to tackle the issue of the loss of public trust in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In responding to this unprecedented pandemic, the Government has been guided by the very best scientific and medical advice from our world-leading experts, and we believe their advice to be trustworthy. This approach is illustrated in the advice received and followed from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). Protecting the health and safety of the British public is, and must always be, our number one priority. Minutes of SAGE meetings have been published and are available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-response

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
5th Feb 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what final budget has been agreed for the cost of hosting the COP26 Summit in Glasgow in November 2020.

The Prime Minister demonstrated his focus on climate action on Tuesday 4 February 2020 by launching the COP26 Climate Summit. The text of the speech is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-at-cop-26-launch-4-february-2020

Regarding meetings of the Cabinet, it is a long established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not shared publicly.

The negotiations timetable for COP26 will be set by the UK, as President of COP26, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat. The timetable will be informed by the outcome of negotiations, including at the intersessional meeting in Bonn in June. Details of the timetable for high level and public events will be announced by the Government in due course.

The UK Government is working closely with the Scottish Government and with operational delivery partners, including Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council, to ensure the successful delivery of COP26 in Glasgow. The security plan for the COP26 venue will be jointly developed and agreed on by the United Nations security team and UK counterparts. Discussions with delivery partners regarding costs for COP26 are ongoing, and final budgets and details are yet to be confirmed.

The UK Government is committed to working with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive to deliver an ambitious and successful summit for the whole of the UK. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on GOV.UK

Earl Howe
Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
11th May 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the detection rate for underpayment of the National Minimum Wage by employers; what incentives there are to ensure that employers comply with the National Minimum Wage; and what action they are taking to enforce compliance with, and to prevent underpayment of, the National Minimum Wage.

In 2021/22, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) concluded over 2,800 minimum wage investigations and returned more than £16.3m in arrears to over 120,000 workers. HMRC issued 696 fines totalling £13.2m to businesses who had failed to pay the minimum wage. Where there has been an underpayment, HMRC will instruct the employer to pay workers the arrears owed, and a penalty of up to 200% of arrears.

HMRC’s Promote team issued 7.8 million advisory notices to workers, employers, and their agents increasing awareness of the rules. Since 2015, the Government has ordered employers to repay over £100 million to over 1 million workers.

Earl of Minto
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
8th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scale of the threat to the earth’s climate posed by shrinking Arctic sea ice, in the light of a study by the University of Colorado Boulder, published in Nature on 4 March, which found that the Arctic’s first ice-free period could happen within a decade.

The Government has not assessed this review, however, its findings are consistent with the existing scientific literature and conclusions of the Sixth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This stated that the Arctic will likely be practically ice-free at least once before 2050 with more frequent occurrences under higher warming scenarios. The IPCC concluded that it is virtually certain the Arctic will continue to warm at least two times faster than the rest of the globe. Arctic sea ice retreat has and will lead to a range of impacts, including loss in biodiversity and coastal erosion.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
13th Dec 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any UK minister was in Dubai at COP28 on 12 December during negotiations to include the transitioning away from all fossil fuels in the UAE Consensus; and if no minister was present at that time, what assessment they have made of the impact this will have on British diplomacy and global influence.

On 12 December Minister Stuart returned to the UK to attend Parliament in his role as an MP. There continued to be full UK representation at the summit throughout, with my noble Friend Lord Benyon representing the UK at Ministerial level alongside UK officials.

Minister Stuart continued to be the lead UK Minister for negotiations and remained in constant contact with the UK Lead Climate Negotiator and my noble Friend Lord Benyon, with any final decisions agreed with him. Minister Stuart returned on 13 December for the final day of negotiations and attended the closing plenary.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Dec 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many meetings they have had with US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, and at what level of government these meetings took place; and what meetings with Mr Kerry were held in the lead-up to COP 28.

Ministers across Government regularly meet with Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry to discuss a range of climate change, energy and environment-related issues, including policy related to COP28.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Dec 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how long the post of the Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change has been unfilled; and when if at all they plan to appoint a Secretary of State-level Climate Envoy, as recommended as a priority in the report by the Climate Change Committee Progress in reducing emissions, published on 28 June.

The Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change finished in the role on 31 March 2023.

There are no plans to appoint a climate envoy. The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero leads on international climate change for the UK. The Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero represented the UK at the COP28 negotiations as Ministerial Head of Delegation.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
24th Jul 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what response they plan to make to the call for unified global action by Climate Emergency Day, following the Climate Clock ticking below six years.

The UK is driving global climate ambition through its leadership in the UNFCCC process, multilateral forums such as the G7 and G20, and through international climate finance commitments and diplomatic networks. The Government is committed to spending £11.6 billion on international climate finance and is delivering on that pledge.

COP28 will involve the first ever Global Stocktake of progress against the Paris Agreement. It must galvanise a step change in action and ambition from all involved.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
27th Apr 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they intend to take, together with international partners, to address climate change in light of reports based on the Earth Energy Imbalance (EEI), that heat is now accumulating at a faster rate, causing the temperature of oceans to rise to record levels; and (2) whether this will include ‘concerted international efforts for climate change monitoring and community-based recommendations’ and ‘urgently needed actions for enabling continuity, archiving, rescuing, and calibrating efforts to assure improved and long-term monitoring capacity of the global climate observing system’ as called for by the study, Heat Stored In The Earth System 1960–2020: Where Does The Energy Go?

The UK is driving global climate ambition through its leadership in multilateral forums, including the UN COP process, G7 and G20 forums, as well as through its International Climate Finance commitments and diplomatic networks. The UK supports and contributes to the WMO’s Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) which assesses the status of global climate observations and participates in the Intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) to improve the availability, access, and use of Earth observations.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
1st Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of which foreign governments have used organised social media disinformation and computational propaganda to manipulate public opinion in the past five years; and what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to combat the threat to democracy from the use of organised computational propaganda, including the employment of private companies by governments in delivering disinformation campaigns.

The Government takes the issue of information threats to national security seriously, including the risk posed by state-sponsored disinformation to democracy. It recognises that some foreign states attempt to manipulate information online to undermine the UK’s interests and weaken the integrity of our democratic institutions. The UK has a strong record of working closely with a wide range of different partners to tackle these risks.

For example, our Defending Democracy Taskforce works to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference, by engaging across government and with Parliament, the UK’s intelligence community, the devolved administrations, local authorities, the private sector, and civil society.

More broadly, the Online Safety Act will address a range of online manipulation tactics which pose a threat to UK democratic integrity. The Foreign Interference Offence has been added as a priority offence in the Act and will require companies to take action against a wide range of state-sponsored disinformation and state-linked interference targeted at the UK. Platforms will be required to take steps to remove content which amounts to foreign interference - including where it is produced by AI bots - if they become aware of it on their services.

Finally, we are working in collaboration with international partners to tackle this shared challenge. The UK recently issued a joint statement alongside the US and Canada on our coordinated efforts to counter foreign state information manipulation and is engaging internationally to manage risks on AI-enabled foreign interference, including disinformation. Government is also working to increase cooperation between like-minded international partners and the tech industry to safeguard forthcoming elections from state manipulation, including through the AI Summit.

Viscount Camrose
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
1st Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to update the law with safeguards to prevent the creation and distribution online of manipulated and faked images.

The Government recognises the challenges that digitally manipulated media and faked images can pose and the Government’s legislative response has been designed to tackle the most egregious forms of this content.

This content will fall in scope of the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content, including illegal misinformation or disinformation, or content which is harmful to children. Where companies become aware of illegal content in scope of the Act, they will need to take steps to remove it. For example, the False Communications Offence, which commenced on 31 January 2024, captures manipulated and faked images where the sender of such content is aware it is untrue and intends to cause non-trivial psychological or physical harm to the recipient. The Foreign Interference Offence has also been added as a priority offence in the Act, forcing companies to remove a wide range of state-sponsored disinformation, including manipulated media and faked images.

The Online Safety Act has also introduced new intimate image abuse offences, which commenced on 31 January. These now mean it is illegal to share without consent or threaten to share intimate images, including AI created or manipulated intimate images.

Viscount Camrose
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
21st Sep 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that everyone has fair and equal access to essential public services, and that older people and those with disabilities are not adversely affected by the digitalization of public services; what assessment they have made of Age UK’s campaign ‘Offline And Overlooked’; and what plans they have to publish an updated digital inclusion strategy to support people of all ages to get online.

The Government is committed to closing the digital divide and meeting the commitment that nobody should be left behind in the digital age. The Government is working to remove barriers and ensure that online services are as inclusive as possible by making public sector websites accessible to as many people as possible.

The accessibility regulations ensure that websites and mobile apps are designed to be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Furthermore, assisted digital support services aim to increase digital inclusion for those online users who lack digital confidence, digital skills or access to the internet.

The Government also understands the impact of poorly designed apps and websites, which do not take people with disabilities into account. That is why the Cabinet Office’s Central Digital and Data Office regularly monitors compliance with the regulations for the accessibility of public sector websites.

Training is available for elderly people wishing to acquire essential digital skills. The Government has introduced a digital entitlement for adults with no or low digital skills to undertake specified digital qualifications, up to level 1, free of charge. Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQs), introduced alongside the digital entitlement, are based on new national standards which set out the digital skills people need to get on in life and work. We also support the provision of essential digital skills training in community settings through the Adult Education Budget.

We also recognise that ongoing support is essential to overcome barriers of access. Through DCMS, our network of 2,900 public libraries across England provide a trusted network of accessible locations with staff, volunteers, free wifi, public PCs, and assisted digital access to a wide range of digital services. Charities such as Age UK and AbilityNet play an important role in assisting people with access to technology and the internet. The Government welcomes Age UK’s continued efforts to bridge the digital divide, especially with regards to the vulnerable and elderly.

The 2014 Digital Inclusion Strategy, and the four pillars it sets out, remains as relevant today as it was when published. These principles were further echoed in the Government’s UK Digital Strategy published in 2022, and our vision to enable everyone from across the UK to benefit from all that digital innovation can offer.

The Department has noted the recommendations made in the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’s report on digital exclusion and cost of living and will formally respond this month.

Viscount Camrose
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
13th Jul 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on negotiations to re-join the EU Horizon programme, including agreement on the UK’s financial contribution; and whether the Horizon programme or the UK-based Pioneer programme is their preferred choice to fulfil their goal of the UK as science superpower.

The Government is moving forward with discussions on the UK’s involvement in Horizon Europe and hope these will be successful. That is the UK’s preference. While the Government hopes negotiations will be successful, participation must work for UK researchers, businesses and taxpayers.

Talks are ongoing and therefore a deal has not yet been agreed. A deadline for these talks has not been set but to provide the industry with certainty, the UK must come to a resolution as quickly as possible. The Government has set out Pioneer, the UK’s bold alternative, which we are ready to implement if association cannot be secured.

Viscount Camrose
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
27th Apr 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that WhatsApp and Signal will withdraw from the UK rather than comply with the provisions of the Online Safety Bill.

The Online Safety Bill includes strong safeguards for users’ privacy and does not require, or allow Ofcom to require, the routine scanning of all private messages.

However, as a last resort and when there is no alternative measure that would be equally effective, Ofcom can require platforms to use highly accurate technology to identify and remove illegal Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA) content only. Where no suitable technology is available, Ofcom can require a platform to use their best endeavours to develop or source new technology to tackle CSEA instead.

Viscount Camrose
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
30th Jun 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans for the UK to join Horizon Europe; and if so, what steps they are taking to secure the UK's membership.

The UK stands ready to formalise our association to Horizon Europe at the earliest opportunity. The Government continues to do everything it can to complete this process swiftly, but disappointingly there have been persistent delays from the EU.

In order to provide reassurance to the sector, the UK Government has guaranteed funding for the first and second waves of eligible successful applicants to Horizon Europe who expect to sign agreements by December 2022 and who have been unable to sign grant agreements with the EU. If the UK is unable to associate to Horizon Europe, we will be ready to introduce a comprehensive alternative programme of international science, research and innovation collaborations.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
26th May 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current position regarding the UK’s membership of the Horizon Europe research programme and the ability of British scientists to join it.

I refer my noble Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central on 27 April 2022 to Question 156445.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
28th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following instances of thefts of Georgian and Victorian post boxes in East Anglia, (1) how many post boxes have been stolen across the UK in the last 12 months, and (2) what discussions they have had with Royal Mail regarding the replacement of those post boxes.

Royal Mail is aware of the theft of post boxes in parts of East Anglia and is working closely with law enforcement agencies and deploying preventative measures to deter theft.

The Government is not involved in the replacement of post boxes which is an operational matter for Royal Mail.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
15th Dec 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss with international partners the warnings by scientists working in the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration of the potential for ice shelf failure along the Thwaites Glacier in the next decade.

The UK is always seeking to discuss issues with our international partners where appropriate opportunities arise. This is no exception and there is a strong international community involved in monitoring and discussing the risk around the Thwaites Glacier.

In 2018, the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) funded the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, a five-year £20million Antarctic research programme and the largest joint project undertaken by the two nations in Antarctica for more than 70 years. This project is aimed at collecting instrument data throughout the glacier and the adjacent ocean, and modelling ice flow and the future of the ice sheet. The collaboration involves around 100 scientists from world-leading research institutes in both the US and UK alongside researchers from South Korea, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand and Finland, who will contribute to the various projects.

The changes that may occur in the vicinity of the grounding line of the Thwaites Glacier in the next decade will not, of themselves, result in a significant change in global sea level. While some computer models predict that such changes may lead to a wider loss of ice to the ocean, these are processes occurring on century timescales. For this reason, the NERC and BAS priority at present is to continue to monitor the Thwaites Glacier with satellite and ground observations, as they are presently undertaking in collaboration with the US.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
10th Jun 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many job vacancies there are in England; what assessment they have made as to whether there are sufficient workers available to fill those vacancies, particularly in the (1) IT and computing, and (2) hospitality, sectors; and what plans they have to address any skills gaps.

The Government actively monitors the UK labour market. The latest ONS statistics suggest that, between March and May 2021, there were 758,000 vacancies in the economy, only 27,000 below the pre-pandemic level.

We are actively supporting the hospitality sector on its road to recovery. We are offering generous incentives to employers to recruit staff, with hundreds of young people starting work every day through the Kickstart Scheme. We are providing employers with a hiring incentive for each new apprentice they hire and have increased the payment to £3,000 for each newly hired apprentice of any age, helping more people to kick start or upskill their career across a broad range of industries. We are also investing £126 million in additional support to help create 40,000 more traineeships in England, funding high-quality work placements and training for 16-24-year olds in 2021-22.

The digital transformation is driving rises in the number of tech and digital jobs advertised, providing an opportunity to get people into good quality work. According to Adzuna estimates, there were 132,000 tech job vacancies in the UK in May, making up 12% of all open vacancies. There are nearly three million jobs in the digital tech economy, more than either Construction (1.9m) or Financial Services (1.2m) and the sector accounts for 9% of the UK’s workforce.

The 10 Tech Priorities, launched by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in March, includes ‘’building a tech savvy nation’’. Our apprenticeships and digital bootcamps will help set people up for highly skilled, highly paid roles of the future.

Encouraging many more skilled people to enter digital roles is vital if the UK is to have the digital skills it requires. In order to coordinate industry support for the teaching of computing in English schools, DCMS created the Digital Skills Partnership Schools group. In order to raise the awareness of interesting digital roles and routes into them, the Digital Skills Partnership Schools Group is working with industry to test how best to do this. The pilot, funded by DCMS, is being run by the South West Local Digital Skills Partnership.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
25th Mar 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their report Global Britain in a Competitive Age: the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, published on 16 March, and their stated aim to secure the UK’s status as a ‘Science and Tech Superpower’ by 2030 by redoubling the commitment to research and development, whether they intend to reverse funding cuts to research and development programmes; and if so, to which programmes they intend to provide increased funding.

Our commitment to research and development has been clearly demonstrated through the Spending Review announcement to increase investment in R&D across government to £14.6bn in 2021/22. This increase in investment will help deliver our ambition to increase total UK R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027.

The increased investment will put research and development at the heart of economic and social recovery from the impacts of COVID-19, enabling us to build back better for a greener, healthier and more resilient UK.

As the custodian of the R&D system, BEIS was allocated £11.1 billion for R&D in 2021/22. Funding for each individual programme is subject to our Departmental allocations process, which is under way. We will provide an update in due course.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
11th Mar 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of job losses and business closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic on (1) women, and (2) ethnic minorities; and what action they are taking as a result.

Throughout this crisis, the Government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods whilst supporting businesses and public services across the UK. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is specifically designed to protect jobs, and it has been used by 1.3m employers to support 11.2m jobs. Since July, more than half of the jobs that have been furloughed were held by women, and we have ensured that women will not lose Statutory Maternity Pay if their roles have been furloughed.

We recognise that unfortunately it has not been possible to protect every business and every job and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted by this virus. While the pandemic has had a significant impact across the whole labour market, certain groups have been more affected than others. For example, the latest official statistics show that individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely to be out of work. Existing Covid-19 support measures and the measures announced at Budget 2021 seek to address this.

The new Restart Grants will provide up to £6k for non-essential retail businesses and up to £18k for hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gyms, for example. The hospitality and personal care sectors have a higher proportion of employees that are young, female, BAME and without qualifications when compared to other industries. By contributing to business survival, these grants will therefore benefit these groups as a result.

Moreover, VAT reductions and extending business rates relief for businesses in the hospitality sector will continue to protect both the UK economy and the livelihoods of people across the country, in particular BAME employees and women.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
9th Jul 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports by the Copernicus Climate Change Service that there was a heatwave in March, April and May in the Arctic Circle, what recent discussions they have had with other parties to the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement on the impact of prolonged high temperatures in the Arctic on the global climate.

Government officials hold regular discussions with climate scientists and negotiators from arctic nations and others, including through the Cryosphere High Urgency group run by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
1st Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the film and television industry in England, including the freelance workforce, and to encourage investment from the US, following the industrial action by Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 2023.

His Majesty’s Government has set out a clear plan to grow the creative industries by a further £50 billion and to add another 1 million jobs in the sector by 2030. That includes supporting the growth of the television and film industry.

Since 2010, HM Government has introduced a range of tax reliefs across the creative industries, including expanded relief for film and high-end television. Our screen sector tax relief is estimated to be worth more than £13 billion in Gross Value Added to the UK economy.

We have taken a number of additional steps to ensure that British film and television companies are able to invest in production, expand their businesses, and offer opportunities for cast and crew across the UK, in spite of production disruption resulting from the pandemic and the recent strike action in the United States of America.

This includes the £500 million Film and TV Production Restart Scheme and the Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas. To build on this, and support the industry not only to survive but to thrive, the Government has taken further actions. This includes our support for the British Film Institute and British Film Commission, which has helped drive a near doubling of UK studio capacity, and the £28 million UK Global Screen Fund, which is expanding the global reach of UK independent content. The sector also benefits from the continued success of our screen sector tax reliefs (for film, high-end TV, animation and children’s TV), which in 2021–22 provided £792 million of support for over 1,000 projects.

We recognise the impact of the American strikes on the film and TV workforce. HMRC has a ‘Time to Pay’ policy which may provide some support to affected cast and crew. This policy allows people experiencing temporary financial difficulty to schedule their tax debts in affordable, sustainable, and tailored instalments with no maximum repayment period. These arrangements can be applied to any tax debt and are flexible, so they can be amended if circumstances change.

In the Creative Industries Sector Vision, the Government set out an ambition to improve the job quality and working practices of the sector, including supporting the high proportion of freelancers in the sector. This includes promoting fair treatment and working practices, enhancing support networks and resources for creative freelancers through Creative UK's Redesigning Freelancing initiative. DCMS and the industry will also continue to work together to produce an action plan in response to the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre’s Good Work Review, and proposals include the recent launch of the British Film Institute’s £1.5 million Good Work Programme for screen. The Government will continue to work with the BFI and the newly established screen sector Skills Task Force to support a strong skills pipeline in the sector and attractive careers pathways into the industry.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
25th Jan 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they intend to provide to the British Library to aid (1) its recovery from the ransomware attack on 31 October 2023, and (2) the continuation of its research services; and what additional measures they have put in place to assist British institutions to (a) improve overall resilience, and (b) defend against cyberattacks.

The National Cyber Security Centre and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have been working closely with the British Library since the cyber-attack it sustained in October 2023. DCMS formed an incident response team, providing security guidance, recommendations and support to the British Library, and officials from the Department continue to work with their counterparts at the British Library.

The British Library is working hard to restore its services and began a phased return of key services on 15 January 2024.

Despite the cyber attack, the British Library’s buildings have remained open and well-used throughout, and it has maintained some key services including reading room access for personal study and some limited collection item ordering, exhibitions, learning events, business support, and onsite retail. In the immediate aftermath essential services such as WiFi and event ticket sales were quickly re-established.

On 15 January, the British Library restored a searchable online version of its main catalogue, comprising records of printed books, journals, maps, music scores and rare books.

The Government Cyber Security Strategy sets out our plan significantly to harden the Government’s critical functions against cyber attacks by 2025, with all Government organisations across the public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities no later than 2030. We are working closely with publicly-funded institutions to enhance their overall cyber-resilience and to ensure that these targets are met.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
7th Jul 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government why the colonial archive series FCO 141 has been withdrawn from public access by the National Archives; and whether these documents are being withheld from public viewing and research.

The National Archives issued a public statement on Monday 11 July which answers this question.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
25th Feb 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the UNESCO report 2022 Global Report Re|Shaping Policies For Creativity, published on 8 February, what steps they are taking to support creative industries in the UK in order to prevent job losses and cultural sector closures as a result of the pandemic, particularly in view of the report’s recommendations on (1) labour protection for artists and cultural professionals, and (2) better pension provision and sick pay for freelancers.

The Government broadly welcomes the UNESCO 2022 Global Report ReShaping Policies For Creativity. We recognise the significant challenge the pandemic has posed to our arts and creative sectors and to the many individuals and freelancers working across these industries.

DCMS officials have been engaging with HMRC, Creative UK, Arts Council England, individual freelancers within the sector, and leading organisations such as ‘What’s Next’ to understand better the impact the pandemic has had on the sector and those working in it.

HM Government has been committed to supporting arts and culture throughout the pandemic. This can be seen through the unprecedented £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund support package which ensured venues and organisations survived the pandemic and continue to provide employment opportunities across the sector and the extension of tax relief for theatres, orchestras, museums, and galleries. We will continue to work closely with freelancers and organisations across the sector to see how we can best provide support to those affected.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
28th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of the potential (1) economic, and (2) inflationary, impact on the UK of any global shortage of computer chips; and what steps they are taking to mitigate any impact.

We appreciate the difficulties that businesses are facing around the world as a result of the current chip shortage. The global nature of this market and a confluence of unexpected events, including the unprecedented pandemic, shifts in demand, and the impact of natural disasters, have had widespread ramifications internationally, including for major chip manufacturing countries.

Working closely with industry, experts, and international partners, the Government is looking at options that increase diversification of supply, enhance the resilience of procurement supply chains, and technical options to accelerate diversification away from silicon chips. This includes working with key allies to address risks stemming from the global nature of the industry.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
8th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support Jewish university students following recent increases in incidents of antisemitism on campuses.

Antisemitism, intimidation, and threats of violence must never be tolerated on university campuses. The Community Security Trust 2023 annual report highlights the unprecedented increase in antisemitic incidents in higher education (HE) and this unacceptable rise is deeply concerning. All antisemitism is abhorrent and universities should have robust systems to deal with incidents of support for unlawful antisemitic abuse and harassment. We will not tolerate unlawful harassment or the glorification of terrorism.

Since the 7 October attacks, we have actively intervened to ensure that universities act swiftly and appropriately to deal with incidents of antisemitism.

The Secretary of State for Education and the Minister for Skills wrote to all universities on 11 October 2023, urging them to respond swiftly to hate-related incidents, and actively reassure Jewish students that they can study without fear of harassment or intimidation. The Minister wrote again to Vice Chancellors on 16 November 2023, emphasising that they must use disciplinary measures wherever appropriate, highlighting the importance of police engagement, and reiterating that student visas could be suspended where a foreign national is found to have committed or incited acts of racial hatred. This was one of the key actions set out in the five point plan for tackling antisemitism in HE, which was published on 5 November 2023. The plan also involves:

  • Calling for visas to be withdrawn from international students who incite racial hatred. Visas are a privilege, not a right, and we will not hesitate to remove them from people who abuse them.
  • Logging specific cases and sharing them with the Office for Students for their consideration.
  • Continuing to make it clear in all discussions that acts that may be criminal should be referred to the police.
  • Establishing a Tackling Antisemitism Quality Seal which will be an award available to universities who can demonstrate the highest standards in tackling antisemitism.

On 22 November 2023, the department announced in the Autumn Statement an additional £7 million over three years to tackle antisemitism in education. The Quality Seal will be the cornerstone of this package for universities, providing a framework of measures that will make clear what good practice is in tackling antisemitism in HE, and making sure that our universities are a safe and welcoming space for Jewish students and staff.

The department will not hesitate to take further action across education to stamp out antisemitism and harassment of Jewish pupils, students and staff.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
1st Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government how many children in England under the age of 18 are diagnosed with (1) autism spectrum condition, (2) ADHD, (3) dyslexia, and (4) dyspraxia; how many children currently receive special educational needs support at school; how many children and young people aged up to 25 have an education, health and care plan; what were the equivalent figures for all the above in 2014; and what action they are taking to adapt schools to better meet the educational needs of neurodiverse children.

The department publishes annual figures on Special Educational Needs (SEN) for pupils in state-funded schools in England. The most recent figures are for January 2023 and information on the primary type of need for pupils with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan or SEN support is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.

2014 data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2014. Please note that prior to 2015, SEN categories were classified as the School Action and School Action Plus which were combined from 2015 to form one category of SEN support.

In January 2023, 115,984 pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as their primary type of SEN had an EHC plan and 90,779 had SEN support.

In January 2014, 49,975 pupils with ASD had an EHC plan, or statement of SEN, and 26,040 received SEN support (School Action Plus).

The department does not collect data specifically on pupils with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia and dyspraxia.

The department also publishes annual figures on children and young people in England with an EHC plan. The most recent figures are for January 2023, which are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.

In January 2023, 517,049 children and young people aged up to 25 had an EHC plan. In January 2014 237,111 children and young people had a statement of SEN, which were replaced by EHC plans from September 2014.

On 22 November 2023, the department announced the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme. This new programme, backed by £13 million of investment, will bring together Integrated Care Boards, local authorities, and schools, working in partnership with parents and carer to support schools to better meet the needs of neurodiverse children. The programme will deploy specialists from both health and education workforces to upskill schools and build their capacity to identify and meet the needs of children with autism and other neurodiverse needs. One of the key programme metrics will be attendance, as the department recognises that addressing unmet needs and making school more inclusive supports good attendance. The programme will be evaluated, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodiverse children.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
14th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of current rates of absences in (1) severely absent, and (2) persistently absent, school pupils; and how this compares to pre-pandemic absences; what steps they are taking to reduce absence rates; and what assessment they have made of the correlation between both categories and future criminal convictions.

Improving attendance is a priority for the government. The department is implementing a comprehensive attendance strategy to tackle unacceptably high rates of persistent and severe absence and return to pre-pandemic levels or better as soon as possible.

Census data from the 2018/19 academic year show that, pre-pandemic, 10.9% of school aged children were persistently absent and 0.8% were severely absent, compared with 22.5% for persistent absence and 1.7% for severe absence in 2021/22. The data from 2021/22 also show that illness was the major driver of overall absence, at 4.4% across the academic year.

To address the issue, the department has published guidance encouraging all schools and local authorities to adopt the practices of the most effective. Schools are now expected to publish an attendance policy and appoint an attendance champion. Local authorities are expected to meet termly with schools to agree individual plans for at-risk children.

The department’s attendance hubs now support 800 schools benefiting over 400,000 pupils. 86% of schools subscribe to the department’s data tool to spot at-risk pupils. Recent data show that the department is making progress, with around 380,000 fewer children persistently not in school in 2022/23 compared to 2021/22.

On links to crime, Ministry of Justice and Department for Education data show that while a high percentage of children cautioned or sentenced for a serious violence offence had ever been persistently absent, only a small percentage of children who had ever been persistently absent were children who were cautioned or sentenced for these offences. Analysis shows that persistent absence for unauthorised reasons and severe absence were not strong predictors of being cautioned or sentenced for a serious violence offence, when holding other factors constant.

The department is investing over £50 million in serious violence hotspots to fund specialist support in both mainstream and Alternative Provision (AP) schools through its AP Specialist Taskforces and ‘Support, Attain, Fulfil, Exceed’ programmes.

The department also works closely with Chief Constable Catherine Roper, who holds the National Police Chiefs’ Council Children and Young People portfolio, through the Attendance Action Alliance. Further information on the alliance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/attendance-alliance-group.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
21st Sep 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 20 January (HL4717), when they first became aware of serious safety issues concerning the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete; and whether these safety concerns include an imminent risk to life.

Nothing is more important than the safety of children and staff. It has always been the case that where the Department is made aware a building may pose an immediate risk, immediate action is taken. It is important for young people to be in classrooms with their friends and teachers, but their safety must always come first.

The Government has taken more proactive action to identify and mitigate RAAC in education settings than the devolved administrations in the UK, or indeed, governments overseas. The Office of Government Property wrote to all Government Property Leaders in 2019, and again in September 2022, highlighting safety alerts on RAAC and signposting guidance on identification and remediation. The Department has been talking to schools about the potential risks of RAAC since 2018 when we first published a warning note with the Local Government Association. The Department published guidance on identifying and managing RAAC in 2021 (updated 2022, and 2023).

Since then, Government departments have been surveying properties and depending on the assessment of the RAAC, decided to either monitor it, prop it up, or replace it. This is in line with the approach recommended by the Institution of Structural Engineers.

Guidance to schools since 2018 has been clear about the need to have adequate contingencies in place for the eventuality that RAAC-affected buildings need to be vacated at short notice. The Department began a programme working with the sector to identify and manage RAAC in March 2022, extended to colleges in December.

The Department discovered details of three new cases over the summer, where RAAC that would have been graded as non-critical had failed. The first of these was in a commercial setting. The second was in a school in a different educational jurisdiction.

It was right to carefully consider the cases and scrutinise the technical details from these. The Department’s technical officials were able to investigate the situation in one case where the plank that had failed was fully intact as it was resting on a steel beam after it failed. They concluded that it would previously been rated non-critical.

Ministers were carefully considering the first two cases, and advice from officials, when a third failure of a panel occurred, at a school in late August. The Department’s technical officials also visited this school to investigate the failure. In light of all three cases, it was right to make the difficult decision to change Departmental guidance for education settings and take a more cautious approach.

Following careful analysis of these recent cases, a precautionary and proactive step has been taken to change the approach to RAAC in education settings ahead of the start of the academic year, as outlined in our guidance.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
14th Sep 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their target for the recruitment of trainee secondary school teachers in 2023–24; what assessment they have made of whether there will be a shortfall in the number of those training to become secondary school teachers during that period; and what steps they are taking to ensure that secondary schools in England continue to have enough teachers.

Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines relevant information for England only.

There are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest FTE of teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.

The Teacher Workforce Model is used by DfE to calculate postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) targets for individual subjects. The model considers a broad range of factors including but not limited to projected pupil numbers, all forms of teacher recruitment (not just ITT), and the expected level of teacher retention. The PGITT target for secondary teachers in 2023/24 is 26,360. The targets are published on GOV.UK at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/postgraduate-initial-teacher-training-targets.

The Department monitors and reviews teacher recruitment through the annual Initial Teacher Training Census (published each December). The latest information on ITT recruitment reported against PGITT targets can be found in the Initial Teacher Training Census statistical publication at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2022-23. The performance against targets for the 2023/24 academic year will be published this December.

As expected, the unprecedented increase in new entrants to ITT during 2020/21 because of the COVID-19 pandemic has since declined. The graduate and general labour markets became more competitive and pay has risen in competing sectors.

To boost teacher recruitment and retention, the Department has introduced the biggest teaching reform in a generation, the Early Career Framework (ECF). The ECF provides the solid foundations for a successful career in teaching, backed by over £130 million a year in funding.

The Department has also accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders, resulting in a pay award of 6.5% , the highest for teachers in over thirty years. This comes on top of the record pay rise in 2022/23 of 5.4% on average, meaning that over two years, teacher pay is increasing by more than 12% on average.

There is still further to go to improve recruitment in some subjects. To address this a range of measures have been put in place, including bursaries worth up to £27,000 tax-free and scholarships worth up to £29,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.

A Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free is also being offered for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first 5 years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
22nd Jun 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how much the new Plan 5 loans for higher education starters will increase the average cost of higher education for graduates; and whether the new arrangements will result in graduates in England paying more and for longer than under the present system.

The Plan 5 reforms will make the student loan system fairer for taxpayers and fairer for students, helping to keep the system sustainable in the long term.

The new loan plan asks graduates to repay for longer and from an income threshold of £25,000, but also increases certainty for borrowers by reducing interest rates to match inflation only. This change ensures that borrowers on the new Plan 5 terms will not repay, under those terms, more than they originally borrowed over the lifetime of their loans, when adjusted for inflation. Lower earners will still be protected. If a borrower’s income is below the repayment threshold of £25,000 per year, they won’t be required to make any repayments at all.

A comprehensive equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022. The assessment is attached.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)