Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her decision to withdraw GL43 licences from special protection areas, what steps she is taking to protect common pheasants and red-legged partridges (a) in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency and (b) generally.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Whilst birds are under the control of an individual whether on a permanent or temporary basis (including common pheasants and red-legged partridge), they are protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
We are unable to comment on individual constituencies.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of shoots that are likely to be affected by the decision to remove special protection areas from General Licence GL43.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
As of 14 June 2023 we have received 58 applications, we have sent out 119 application packs and have had 456 hits on the website regarding this. We are working closely with those affected and will support them through the licencing process.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases of Avian Influenza have been found on the Leighton Hall Estate in my Constituency in the past 100 years.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is currently in the largest ever outbreak of avian influenza. Outbreaks of avian influenza in both kept and wild birds have occurred at an unprecedented scale across Europe and the UK with cases continuing to be confirmed into year two of the outbreak for the first time.
We do not comment on individual premises nor hold a full dataset on cases of avian influenza for the past 100 years, however, based on the available information, there have been no outbreaks of notifiable avian influenza confirmed in the Morecambe and Lunesdale Constituency (Since 2006).
In terms of wild bird findings, since 2017, there has been a wild bird finding in a tufted duck near Carnforth in 2017, a finding in a mallard near Carnforth in 2021, a finding in a mute swan near Whittington in 2021, and a finding in a common buzzard near Carnforth in 2022. These have all been in the Morecambe and Lunesdale Constituency. Findings of Avian Influenza in wild birds are published online and can be found on Gov.uk.
Epidemiological reports setting out our investigations into previous outbreaks of avian influenza in Great Britain have been published and are available on Gov.uk.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to take steps to provide additional financial support to community swimming pools to help with the cost of energy.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) provides a discount on the wholesale element of gas and electricity bills to ensures eligible businesses, including sport or leisure facilities, which receive their energy from licensed suppliers, are protected from high energy costs. The Treasury-led review of the EBRS took account of many contributions from the private sector, trade associations, the voluntary sector and other organisations. It recognised that leisure facilities may continue to experience high energy bills, which is why we will continue to provide support to non-domestic customers through the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme, which will run from April until March 2024.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of students taking STEM subjects.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government is investing £3.8 billion more in further education (FE) and skills over this Parliament to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that addresses skills gaps and boosts productivity. We are working with industry to shape our training offers, creating more routes into skilled employment in key science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sectors, such as engineering, digital, clean energy, and manufacturing.
The department is investing in Institutes of Technology, which are leaders in the provision of high-quality, higher level technical education and training across a range of STEM occupations and industries.
We have worked with employers to develop over 350 apprenticeship standards in STEM. These same employer-led standards have shaped the design of T Levels, new Level 3 qualifications for 16-19 year olds that reflect modern industrial practice and include a 45 day industry placement. Fourteen of the 24 T Levels being rolled out are in STEM subjects, from Science to Digital Business Services, Engineering Design and Development to Onsite Construction.
We are delivering supply and demand side reforms to reverse the decline in uptake of high-quality higher technical education. We’ve announced approximately £70 million to date in funding to prime FE and higher education higher technical provision across the country. Central to our reforms is the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). These are current (and new) level 4-5 qualifications, approved and quality marked by the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IfATE) as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. HTQ rollout is on track. They began teaching from September 2022, starting with Digital HTQs, and all occupational routes are due to be rolled out by 2025, where relevant occupational standards are available. To date, 106 qualifications have been approved as HTQs across Digital, Construction, and Health & Science routes, for teaching this year or next. Over 70 providers were able to deliver HTQs from September 2022, with the majority being FE colleges. We have introduced an HTQ brand and are improving communication, advice, and guidance. From 2023/24, HTQ student finance will be on a par with degrees.
The department is investing to widen participation in STEM education in schools and increase the number and quality of STEM teachers. Since autumn 2022, early career teachers have been able to claim a levelling up premium (£3,000 tax free per year for up to three years) for teaching mathematics, physics, chemistry or computing in state-funded secondary schools that have been identified as having a high need for teachers. The department is funding tailored maths support for students and teachers through the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme, investing £84 million into National Centre for Computing education to drive increased participation in computer science and funding research programmes on how to tackle gender balance in STEM subjects.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what is the planned timescale for the type approval of small modular reactors; and when he plans for the first site to be announced.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government intends to initiate a selection process in 2023, with the intention to enter negotiations with the most credible projects to enable a potential Government award of support as soon as possible.
The Government will also develop a new National Policy Statement, which will cover the siting and policy framework for nuclear electricity generating infrastructure, including SMRs, beyond 2025 and will consult on this in due course.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to take steps to encourage students to pursue a career in electric technology.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over this Parliament to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that addresses skills gaps and boosts productivity. We are working with industry to shape our training offers, creating more routes into skilled employment in key science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sectors, such as engineering, digital, clean energy, and manufacturing.
The department is investing in Institutes of Technology, which are leaders in the provision of high-quality, higher level technical education and training across a range of STEM occupations and industries.
We have worked with employers to develop over 350 apprenticeship standards in STEM. There are apprenticeship opportunities available relating to careers in electric technology, for example the electrical or electronic technical support engineer apprenticeship. These same employer-led standards have shaped the design of T Levels, new Level 3 qualifications for 16-19 year olds that reflect modern industrial practice and include a 45 day industry placement. 14 of the 24 T Levels being rolled out are in STEM subjects, from Science to Digital Business Services, Engineering Design and Development to Onsite Construction.
The department is delivering supply and demand side reforms to reverse the decline in uptake of high-quality higher technical education. We’ve announced approximately £70 million to date in funding to prime further education (FE) and higher education higher technical provision across the country.
Central to our reforms is the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). These are current (and new) level 4-5 qualifications, approved and quality marked by the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IfATE) as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. HTQ rollout is on track. They began teaching from September 2022, starting with Digital HTQs, and all occupational routes are due to be rolled out by 2025, where relevant occupational standards are available. To date, 106 qualifications have been approved as HTQs across Digital, Construction, and Health & Science routes, for teaching this year or next. Over 70 providers were able to deliver HTQs from September 2022, with the majority being FE colleges. We have introduced an HTQ brand and are improving communication, advice, and guidance. From 2023/24, HTQ student finance will be on a par with degrees.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Education Health and Care assessments are carried out in Early Years Education.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
On 2 March 2023, the department published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, which sets out the next steps we will take to deliver a more positive experience for children, young people and families.
The department will establish a single national system that delivers for every child and young person with SEND so that they enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes, and are well prepared for adulthood and employment. For those children and young people with SEND who do require an education, health, and care (EHC) assessment, we have set out our vision for a reformed and consistent EHC plan process which will include early years education. This will ensure that children and young people with SEND get prompt access to the support they need, and that parents don’t face an adversarial system to secure this.
The department recognises the important role of the early years sector in the early identification of needs and in building up effective working relationships with parents about their child’s needs.
Early intervention is crucial, which is why, as part of the £180 million early years recovery programme, we are funding up to 5,000 early years staff to gain an accredited level 3 Special Education Needs Coordinator qualification to support the early years sector, help identify children who need support, and provide expert advice.
High needs funding will also be at £10.1 billion in 2023/24 which is an increase of over 50% from the 2019/20 allocations.
Local authorities will be able to use this funding to support children and young people with SEND in mainstream schools and elsewhere, including those in early years and requiring an EHC plan or assessment.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to increase the level of the national funding rate for early years pupil premium in the financial year 2023-24; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The early years pupil premium currently provides 60 pence per hour additional funding to support better outcomes for disadvantaged three and four-year-olds. This is equivalent to up to £342 per eligible child per year.
On 16 December, the department published the 2023/24 hourly funding rates for local authorities for early years. We also announced in a written ministerial statement that the early years pupil premium for 2023/24 will be increased to 62 pence per hour. This is equivalent to up to £353 per eligible child per year.
The full ministerial statement is available at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-12-16/hlws447.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department takes to monitor the education of young people who have been moved from in-school to at-home education.
Answered by Nick Gibb
It is the responsibility of Local Authorities to ensure that all children receive a suitable education, including those who are electively home educated. The Government’s view is that existing powers, if used in the way set out in the Government’s guidance, are enough for a Local Authority to determine whether the provision at home is suitable.