Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had discussions with the Cabinet Secretary on the contents of a response to the correspondence sent by the Civil Service Sex Equality and Equity Network in October 2023 on Civil Service impartiality.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place between Cabinet ministers and officials is not normally shared publicly. However, as mentioned in the Minister’s speech at the Institute for Government on 23 January 2024, the Cabinet Office will be introducing new impartiality guidance which will support Civil Servants to remain objective and impartial when engaging in diversity and inclusion work.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost to the public purse has been of equality, diversity or inclusion themed lanyards for House of Commons staff in each of the last three financial years for which information is available; and for what (a) themes and (b) types of lanyard that cost was incurred.
Answered by Charles Walker
In 2021–2022 there was no spend on lanyards.
In 2022–2023, in support of LGBT+ people in Parliament, the House Administration approved a request from ParliOut to spend £380 for 500 rainbow lanyards. ParliOut is the workplace equality network (WEN) for LGBT+ people in Parliament.
In 2023–2024, in support of LGBT+ people in Parliament, the Administration approved expenditure from ParliOut of £1,639 on 1,500 rainbow/progressive flag lanyards. In support of disabled people in Parliament, the Administration approved expenditure from ParliAble of £475 on purple lanyards bearing the ParliAble logo. ParliAble is the workplace equality network for disabled people in Parliament.
As the networks are bicameral, their expenditure is split 70% by the House of Commons and 30% by the House of Lords.
The lanyards are not solely for House of Commons staff. They are worn by any interested passholders, including Members of both Houses and their staff, staff of both Houses, contractors, etc.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make an assessment of the potential merits of asking House of Commons staff not to wear pins or badges that express support for (a) social movements, (b) campaigns and (c) organisations.
Answered by Charles Walker
All staff of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS), wherever they work, must carry out their duties and deliver services with complete political impartiality, and must be seen to do so. The wearing of pins or badges which express a personal view on a politically controversial issue would not therefore be appropriate in the workplace. Guidance for House of Commons and PDS staff on political impartiality, which was updated in 2022, can be found in Part 5 of the House of Commons Staff Handbook.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2024 to Question 16442 on Legislative Drafting: Gender, when she plans to publish the further information for drafters on gendered language.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel’s drafting guidance was published on GOV.UK on 4th April 2024 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drafting-bills-for-parliament) and has also been deposited in the libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Education to help close the gap in exam results between boys and girls.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Raising attainment for all pupils, no matter their gender or background is at the heart of this government’s agenda, and we are committed to providing a world-class education system for all.
The latest data show that, while girls continue to outperform boys across most headline measures, the gender gap between boys and girls is narrowing.
At KS2 in 2022/23, the gender gap between boys and girls at the expected standard in reading, writing and maths has decreased since 2021/22 and is the lowest it has been since 2016/17. KS4 results show the gender gap has narrowed across all headline measures when comparing 2022/23 with both 2018/19 and 2021/22.
The Schools White Paper (March 2022) was clear about the direction of travel needed to improve attainment. It set out our long-term vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time – founded on achieving world-class literacy and numeracy.
This is supported by significant investment in education. Next year, including the recently announced funding for pension contributions, overall school funding is increasing by £2.9 billion compared to 2023-24, taking the total to £60.7 billion in 2024-25 – the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. This will help schools in their vital work to close attainment gaps, and level up educational opportunities.
Alongside this, the department takes a range of steps to improve attainment and outcomes for all pupils, including improving the quality of teaching and curriculum resources, strengthening the school system, increasing attendance, and providing targeted support where needed.
We know that disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs are more likely to fall behind and need extra support to reach their full potential. This is why we provide additional funding as part of schools’ overall funding to support disadvantaged pupils through the pupil premium, which will rise to over £2.9 billion in 2024-25, an increase of £80 million from 2023-24.
Programmes such as Free School Meals that support over 2 million children, the Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF), and support for up to 2,700 breakfast clubs also support disadvantaged pupils.
We also continue to collaborate with other government departments to address out-of-school factors that we know have a significant impact on attainment outcomes.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, with reference to the Answer of 19 June 2023 to Question 187222, on Legislative Drafting: Gender, whether the revised guidance has been completed; and whether she continues to plan to place it in the Libraries of both Houses and publish it on the gov.uk website.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel has updated its drafting guidance in general and, following the written statement, has further information for drafters on gendered language. This will be published on GOV.UK in due course.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time paid positions the a:gender staff network has; and what the cost to the public purse is of that network.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The costs (covering the period 2022-23) were £82,000. A decision has been made since then that no further funding will be provided.
Some of the information requested is being withheld because disclosure of that information would contravene one of the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018.
Specifically, we consider that disclosure of the information would contravene principle A under article 5(1)(a) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which requires that personal data should be processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently.
We have found that on balance the legitimate interest and necessity in disclosure are overridden by the reasonable expectations of privacy of the individual[s] concerned.
In this case, the numbers concerned are 5 individuals or fewer. We cannot provide details in such cases as the individuals concerned could be identifiable. This is standard statistical reporting.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to ensure that Ofcom's review of video-on-demand services' (a) age ratings and (b) other audience protection measures, as required by section 32 of the draft Media Bill, is sufficiently thorough.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Media Bill will give Ofcom an enhanced ongoing duty to assess all video-on-demand providers’ audience protection measures – such as age ratings, content warning, and parental controls – to ensure that the systems put in place are effective and fit for purpose, as they have done with broadcast television.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Angiolini Inquiry Part 1 report, published in February 2024, when she plans to publish the findings of her Department's review entitled Pornography Regulation, Legislation and Enforcement, published on 11 January 2024; and whether that review will address the societal impact of violent and extreme pornography.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Independent Pornography Review will involve a comprehensive assessment of the impact of pornography on viewers and wider society, including the impact of violent and extreme pornography, identifying any links to violence against women and girls. It will also review how effective current legislation, regulation, and law enforcement are in tackling extreme pornographic content. The review is being led by an independent lead reviewer, Baroness Gabby Bertin, who oversees the delivery of the review and the final report and recommendations. The independent review’s Terms of Reference state that it aims to conclude by Summer 2024.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to take steps to recognise the service of British and allied soldiers during the Cold War period.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 January 2024 to Question 7570 to the hon. Member for Barnsley Central (Dan Jarvis).