Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support students whose multi year college and university courses are cancelled prior to their completion.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government established the Office for Students (OfS) as the independent regulator for higher education (HE) in 2018. As a pre-condition for registration, the OfS requires all HE providers to submit student protection plans for approval. This means that all HE providers registered with the OfS must have a student protection plan in place.
Student protection plans set out what students in HE can expect to happen should a course, campus, or institution close. The purpose of a plan is to ensure that students can continue and complete their studies, or can be compensated if this is not possible.
In the event of a change in a provider’s circumstances, such as a significant course closure or a campus closure, the OfS will work closely with the provider and its students to ensure that students’ interests continue to be protected. Universities have previously worked to reduce the impact on students in a variety of ways, many universities have awarded degrees when they have enough evidence of a student’s prior attainment to do so. Others have assigned provisional grades to students to allow them to progress.
Where a student complaint cannot be resolved through the institution’s own complaint processes, the student can ask for their complaint to be reviewed by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education in England (OIA), which was set up to review student complaints about higher education providers in England. The OIA's website gives details about eligibility criteria and how to make a complaint.
Further education colleges are autonomous organisations, therefore they are responsible for the management of their operations. If a college has to withdraw a course, or if there is a change to the course provision, we would expect college course leaders to give affected students as much help and support as possible to find a suitable alternative course.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications were received to the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme; what proportion of applications were successful; and how much funding was (a) allocated and (b) remains for allocation.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS) has had two distinct phases. Initially, we launched FaSS in April 2021 for one year, during which 529 applications were received, 98% (522) of which were successful and £8.5 million was allocated and spent. The scheme was relaunched in April 2022 and since then 815 applications have been received, 99% (808) of which were successful and £18 million has been allocated. This is in excess of the c. £12 million we originally allocated as a result of our efforts to keep the scheme open as long as possible. Unfortunately, we were still unable to fund new FaSS applications throughout 2023-24 and the scheme has now closed to new applications. FaSS will reopen in 2024 with a budget of £5 million to be allocated.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the outcomes of the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The FaSS is currently undergoing an independent evaluation lasting initially for two years. The evaluation will assess the scheme’s administration and management, impact of the funding and the value for money of the scheme.
The evaluation is ongoing, but preliminary reporting shows the FaSS has had a broad contribution to increasing economic sustainability and resilience across the fisheries and seafood sectors. Feedback from the evaluation has already been acted upon by fund managers to ensure delivery is effective as possible and to maximise benefits. A full report with a detailed assessment will be published in 2024.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that people in rural areas are able to contact emergency services in instances when (a) power and (b) mobile masts are not working and (c) Voice over Internet Protocol has replaced landlines.
Answered by John Whittingdale
We recognise the importance of 999 and contacting emergency services as an essential part of public safety and particularly so in rural areas. Therefore, the Government works in partnership with operators, Ofcom and the Emergency Authorities to strengthen the resilience of the Public Emergency Call Service, to ensure it meets the needs of the UK public. DSIT works closely with the telecommunications industry and Ofcom to ensure the sector remains resilient to all risks that may affect services, including technological transformation. The Department also works together with the telecoms industry through the Electronic Communications Resilience & Response Group to agree methods to strengthen resilience and establish best practice across the sector.
The analogue landline network, also called the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), is a privately-owned network. The ongoing work to upgrade it to digital voice services is an industry-led process. The decision to upgrade the PSTN was taken as the technology it relies upon is now outdated and prone to failure, with companies finding it increasingly difficult to source the spare parts needed for repairs. The upgrade process is currently ongoing and all consumers will be migrated to digital voice services by 2025.
The Government also recognises the importance of both fixed (landlines) and the mobile telephone network in the UK. In particular in rural and isolated areas, for the elderly and other vulnerable users and customers of technology enabled care services. We expect industry to ensure that all consumers, including the most vulnerable, are protected and prepared for the upgrade of the PSTN. DSIT receives regular updates from telecoms providers about the progress of their migration and any emerging challenges they face
Ofcom is responsible for the monitoring and enforcement of any regulatory obligations as the providers themselves are responsible. Communication Providers are required by obligations set out in the General Conditions of Entitlement, made under the Communications Act 2003, to ensure the continuity of access to the Public Emergency Call Service, via the telephone numbers 999 and 112. Compliance with these obligations is monitored and enforced by Ofcom
In 2018, Ofcom published guidance on the measures telecoms companies should take to ensure compliance with this General Condition in light of the industry’s decision to retire the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and replace it with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. The guidance states that in the event of a power outage at least one solution must be available for consumers, providing access for a minimum of one hour. The solution should be suitable for customers’ needs and should be offered free of charge to those who are at risk as they are dependent on their landline, because for example, they have disability or accessibility requirements that mean they are more reliant on their landline and/or they do not have an alternative method of calling emergency organisations (including those who own a mobile but have limited or no mobile signal (on any network). These are minimum standards, and in practice many providers are offering solutions which exceed them.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary schools in England use literacy resources at Key stage 1 designed specifically for (a) deaf children and (b) other visual learners that include visual languages to support access and inclusion in early literacy as of July 2023.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department recognises the importance of supporting all children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), including deaf children and those with a hearing impairment.
On the Get Information About Schools service, there are 197 primary schools and five all-through schools listed as providing for children with hearing impairments. This information is available at: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.
The government does not collect local authority level data on specialist education services for children with sensory impairments. The Children and Families Act 2014 requires all local authorities to publish a local offer of services for children and young people with SEND in their area, to ensure that families are aware of services that are available in their area and are able to contribute to shaping the services to meet local needs. Information about the support available for children with sensory impairment should be included within that local offer.
In the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, published in March 2023, the department set out a mission for more children and young people to have their needs met effectively in mainstream settings, reducing reliance on Education, Health and Care plans to access support.
The department will improve mainstream education through setting standards for early and accurate identification of need, and timely access to support to meet those needs. The standards will include clarifying the types of support that should be ordinarily available in mainstream settings, who is responsible for securing the support and from what budgets.
On 11 July 2023, the department published an updated version of our Reading Framework, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1168960/The_Reading_Framework_July_2023.pdf. This provides best practice guidance for improving early reading teaching, including for pupils with SEND.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of adding independent lifeboat launch vehicles to the list of emergency vehicles that can use blue lights.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department and HM Coastguard are working with UK Search and Rescue (UKSAR) to create guidance and governance for SAR teams on the use of blue lights and warning devices.
When approved, this will allow voluntary sector SAR bodies recognised by UKSAR and operating under the UKSAR safety framework, including independent lifeboat launch vehicles, to be lawfully fitted with blue flashing lamps and audible warning devices.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of students who have received chemistry or physics bursaries for undertaking a PGCE accept a job in a state school at the end of their training; and what proportion of those teachers who remain in such employment after five years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department’s published data shows that the rate of progression into teaching for those who receive a bursary is very similar to the rate of progression for all trainees. Of those who trained in 2020/21, the Department provisionally estimates that 74% of chemistry postgraduate trainees and 73% of physics postgraduate trainees who were awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and were eligible for a bursary will be employed as a teacher in a state funded school in England within 16 months of the end of the academic year. The equivalent employment rate for all postgraduate trainees, whether they received a bursary or not, is 73%.
The Department does not currently hold data showing the employment rate of bursary recipients after five years.
For trainees starting Initial Teacher Training in the 2023/24 academic year, the Department is providing a £27,000 tax free bursary and a £29,000 scholarship in mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. The Department is also providing a Levelling Up Premium of up to £3,000 tax free annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. These incentives are designed to support the recruitment and retention of teachers in these subjects, and to encourage them to work in the schools and areas that need them most.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what further steps his Department plans to take to reduce the backlog in driving tests, in the context of current waiting times.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Since April 2021, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has created over one million extra car test appointments by recruiting new examiners, conducting out-of-hours testing, such as on public holidays and weekends, asking all those qualified to conduct tests but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests, and asking recently retired driving examiners to return. On average, this has created approximately 40,000 extra car test appointments each month.
As of 17 July 2023, there were 544,028 car practical driving tests booked, and 36,523 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to attract STEM teachers to schools in Devon.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The number of teachers remains high, with more than 468,000 across the country, which is 27,000 more than in 2010. In November 2022, the latest available data, there were 5,667 full-time equivalent teachers in state funded schools in Devon. This is an increase of 1.7% from last year (5,571) and an increase of 4.6% since 2010, when the school workforce census began (5,419).
The Department recognises that recruitment and retention in some subjects, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects, remains more challenging and the Department has put additional targeted initiatives in place.
In October 2022, the Department announced an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting ITT in 2023/24, which is a £52 million increase on 2022/23. The package includes bursaries worth £27,000 tax free and scholarships worth £29,000 tax free, to encourage talented trainees to teach in key subjects, such as physics, chemistry and computing. More information on the financial incentives package can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt-academic-year-2023-to-2024.
For the 2023/24 academic year, the Department has also extended bursary and scholarship eligibility to all non-UK national trainees in physics.
The Department is offering a Levelling Up Premium (LUP) worth up to £3,000 tax free for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. In Devon, there are 25 secondary schools that are eligible for the LUP. Specialist teachers in these schools can claim up to £2,000 tax free annually. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.
In spring 2022, the Department launched ‘Engineers teach physics’, an ITT course which was piloted as a step to encourage engineering graduates and career changers with an engineering background to consider a career as a physics teacher. Following the pilot year, the Department has now rolled ‘Engineers teach physics’ out nationally, with 18 providers currently offering this course.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering a reduced fee rate for the D1 driving licence training and exam for drivers who are only using the licence for volunteering with a community bus service.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
There is no provision within the regulations to vary a test fee for any vehicle category in response to varying different kinds of usage.