Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) recruit, (2) train, and (3) retain, more midwives, obstetricians and anaesthetists to ensure safe levels of staffing in maternity services.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of midwives has already increased by 21.5% since 2010 and by 5.8% in the past year. The Government is further increasing the number of midwives by funding an additional 160 new posts over three years to support the continued growth of the maternity and neonatal workforce.
The Government and the National Health Service are investing almost £35 million over three years to further improve maternity safety across England which will support specialist training for staff, additional numbers of midwives and support to ensure maternity services listen to and act on women’s experiences to improve care.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets an ambition to increase the number of nursing and midwifery training places to around 58,000 by 2031/32. We will work towards achieving this by increasing places to over 44,000 by 2028/29, with 20% of registered nurses qualifying through apprenticeship routes compared to the current 9% and 5% of midwives to train through an apprenticeship, compared to less than 1% currently.
The Plan also sets out the steps the NHS and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. The Government is backing this Plan with over £2.4 billion over the next five years to fund additional education and training places. This forms part of our ambition to expand the number of midwifery training places from 3,778 in 2022, to 4,269 by 2028, providing a substantial uplift in the workforce pipeline to meet future demands.
The NHS England's nursing and midwifery retention programme aims to support organisations in assessing and implementing a set of interventions aligned with the People Promise. This initiative focuses on promoting flexible working arrangements, fostering a supportive, inclusive, and compassionate workplace environment. For 2023/24, an investment of £5.75 million is being made in neonatal nurse quality roles, funding at least 98 full-time equivalent posts to support staff retention and learning from incidents, ensuring every trust has funding for this role.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the volume of cotton garments imported into the UK that are linked to environmental destruction in the Amazonian Cerrado.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In 2023, only 0.01% of UK imports of clothing, at least some of which are made from cotton, came from Brazil.
The Government is concerned about environmental destruction in the Amazon, and the Government monitors trends of forest loss across the region, including Brazil. In May 2023, the Government published a joint declaration with Brazil on Green and Inclusive Growth. The Partnership will drive strengthened cooperation and dialogue, including on forests and agriculture.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to page 7 of the document entitled ICF Brazil: Summary, published in March 2024, when the Government plans to disburse its £115 million contribution to the Amazon Fund.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK is the third biggest contributor of climate finance to Brazil, with more than £400 million committed. The UK’s contribution supports initiatives under the Green and Inclusive Growth partnership to help Brazil’s economic transition to net zero, reduce deforestation rates and support Brazil’s ambition to develop a bioeconomy which values standing forest and supports local communities’ livelihoods. At COP 28 the UK signed a legal agreement with the Amazon Fund and an initial disbursement is planned for 2024.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the sporting industry.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government is committed to using technology to help drive increased participation at every level, as well as economic growth in the sector.
The government will continue to work with both the technology and the sport sectors to help identify innovative, inclusive digital solutions which help increase participation and activity.
On artificial intelligence specifically, for the development of the National AI Strategy and the AI regulation white paper, the government engaged with hundreds of businesses across a range of sectors, including civil society. We will continue this engagement to understand the impacts AI may have on different industries.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what support his Department is providing to the Armenian government to bolster democracy in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The United Kingdom strongly supports democracy in Armenia. I [Minister Docherty] discussed domestic reforms with Armenia's Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, during my visit to the South Caucasus in November last year. We provide Armenia support through The Good Governance Fund (GGF), including up to £2.3 million this year for programmes that are focused on strengthening and promoting inclusive governance, economic growth and supporting safeguards of democracy in Armenia.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of travel restrictions, applied by the government of Israel on the free movement of Palestinian people within the West Bank and from the West Bank to Israel, on the economy of the West Bank; and what additional financial assistance, if any, they plan to provide to mitigate its effects.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We expect Israel to fulfil its obligations as an occupying power, and we are concerned by the restrictions on the free movement of Palestinians in the West Bank. In our engagements with Israel, we have stressed to them the damage the restrictions on movement, access, and trade are doing to the living standards of ordinary Palestinians.
UK economic development programming works with the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel to help address the main constraints to growth, like water, energy and trade. Our work on economic development across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) seeks to contribute towards maintaining the viability of a peaceful, negotiated two-state solution by supporting inclusive growth.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with representatives of the film production industry on the standards of recruitment within the film industry.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
There is regular discussion between the government and film industry at both Ministerial and official level on a range of topics, including on workforce and skills issues.
The Creative Industries Sector Vision sets out this Government’s ambitions, shared with industry, to support this high-growth sector up to 2030. The second chapter of the Sector Vision focuses on the creative workforce and includes our 2030 job quality objective: that all parts of the creative industries are recognised for offering high quality jobs, ensuring a resilient and productive workforce that reflects the whole of the UK. It is vital therefore that we ensure the right recruitment practices are in place to support the sector.
The Good Work Review, published in February 2023 by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, was co-funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and is the first sectoral deep dive of its kind into job quality and working practice in the creative industries. We have committed to, together with industry, set out an action plan to assess the recommendations of the review - including developing and reporting on recruitment practices.
To play their part in responding to the recommendations set out in the Good Work Review, the BFI has allocated £1,500,000 of National Lottery funds to a Good Work Programme for Screen. The programme aims to create a ‘one stop shop’ where businesses and individuals can access key resources, advice, support, and training to strengthen recruitment, management, and HR practices; build more inclusive workplaces; and aid workforce productivity.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to expand digital literacy programs in (a) rural and (b) remote areas.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Digital and computing skills are critical to achieving the department’s science and technology superpower ambitions, which were set out in the UK Science & Technology Framework in March 2023. Programmers, data scientists, and software engineers will help deliver the department’s ambitions for critical technologies like artificial intelligence, but their importance is not limited to these technologies. These roles are fundamental across the labour market, with 60% of businesses believing their reliance on advanced digital skills will increase over the next five years.
The importance of digital skills goes far beyond supporting specific growth industries. They are increasingly a foundation for the economy and society, as essential to employability and participation in society as English and mathematics. That is why the department has developed an ambitious skills agenda, backed by an additional £3.8 billion in further education and skills over the lifetime of this Parliament.
The department’s essential digital skills offer plays an important role in both the wider department digital offer, which will equip people with the right digital skills to progress into rewarding careers or higher-level technical study, and the department’s wider support for the government’s new Digital Strategy, led out of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which sets out the vision for harnessing digital transformation, accelerating growth, and building a more inclusive, competitive and innovative digital economy for the future.
Through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), the department has introduced a new legal entitlement in August 2020 to fully fund adults (19+) with low digital skills to undertake an Essential Digital Skills Qualification, up to Level 1. The department has further enhanced the offer by introducing Digital Functional Skills qualifications in August 2023. These qualifications were developed against employer supported National Standards and provide learners with the essential digital skills they need to participate actively in life, work and society.
The department has also taken steps to embed essential digital skills training as part of study programmes for 16–19-year-olds. Where students are identified as having low levels of digital skills, education providers integrate essential digital skills development, where it is needed, into their learning programme.
Formal qualifications are not appropriate for everyone, which is why the department also funds community learning and other non-regulated learning, such as building confidence in essential digital skills, through the AEB. Many local authorities and other further education providers are already delivering these courses that help equip adults with the essential digital skills they need for work, life and further learning.
The department is investing in employer-led technical skills and education, with courses and training in digital subjects often at the forefront of our reforms, from digital literacy to skills for advanced digital roles. These are key in expanding our offer and providing alternative routes, as the department is aware that the traditional route does not suit everyone or every community. For example:
Through the skills reforms, the department is continuing to ensure learners are supported, including those who need the most support, to train, retrain and upskill so they can climb the ladder of opportunity towards better jobs, better wellbeing and better options for the future.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve digital skills in underrepresented communities.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Digital and computing skills are critical to achieving the department’s science and technology superpower ambitions, which were set out in the UK Science & Technology Framework in March 2023. Programmers, data scientists, and software engineers will help deliver the department’s ambitions for critical technologies like artificial intelligence, but their importance is not limited to these technologies. These roles are fundamental across the labour market, with 60% of businesses believing their reliance on advanced digital skills will increase over the next five years.
The importance of digital skills goes far beyond supporting specific growth industries. They are increasingly a foundation for the economy and society, as essential to employability and participation in society as English and mathematics. That is why the department has developed an ambitious skills agenda, backed by an additional £3.8 billion in further education and skills over the lifetime of this Parliament.
The department’s essential digital skills offer plays an important role in both the wider department digital offer, which will equip people with the right digital skills to progress into rewarding careers or higher-level technical study, and the department’s wider support for the government’s new Digital Strategy, led out of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which sets out the vision for harnessing digital transformation, accelerating growth, and building a more inclusive, competitive and innovative digital economy for the future.
Through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), the department has introduced a new legal entitlement in August 2020 to fully fund adults (19+) with low digital skills to undertake an Essential Digital Skills Qualification, up to Level 1. The department has further enhanced the offer by introducing Digital Functional Skills qualifications in August 2023. These qualifications were developed against employer supported National Standards and provide learners with the essential digital skills they need to participate actively in life, work and society.
The department has also taken steps to embed essential digital skills training as part of study programmes for 16–19-year-olds. Where students are identified as having low levels of digital skills, education providers integrate essential digital skills development, where it is needed, into their learning programme.
Formal qualifications are not appropriate for everyone, which is why the department also funds community learning and other non-regulated learning, such as building confidence in essential digital skills, through the AEB. Many local authorities and other further education providers are already delivering these courses that help equip adults with the essential digital skills they need for work, life and further learning.
The department is investing in employer-led technical skills and education, with courses and training in digital subjects often at the forefront of our reforms, from digital literacy to skills for advanced digital roles. These are key in expanding our offer and providing alternative routes, as the department is aware that the traditional route does not suit everyone or every community. For example:
Through the skills reforms, the department is continuing to ensure learners are supported, including those who need the most support, to train, retrain and upskill so they can climb the ladder of opportunity towards better jobs, better wellbeing and better options for the future.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of digital skills training initiatives in bridging skills gaps in the technology sector.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Digital and computing skills are critical to achieving the department’s science and technology superpower ambitions, which were set out in the UK Science & Technology Framework in March 2023. Programmers, data scientists, and software engineers will help deliver the department’s ambitions for critical technologies like artificial intelligence, but their importance is not limited to these technologies. These roles are fundamental across the labour market, with 60% of businesses believing their reliance on advanced digital skills will increase over the next five years.
The importance of digital skills goes far beyond supporting specific growth industries. They are increasingly a foundation for the economy and society, as essential to employability and participation in society as English and mathematics. That is why the department has developed an ambitious skills agenda, backed by an additional £3.8 billion in further education and skills over the lifetime of this Parliament.
The department’s essential digital skills offer plays an important role in both the wider department digital offer, which will equip people with the right digital skills to progress into rewarding careers or higher-level technical study, and the department’s wider support for the government’s new Digital Strategy, led out of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which sets out the vision for harnessing digital transformation, accelerating growth, and building a more inclusive, competitive and innovative digital economy for the future.
Through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), the department has introduced a new legal entitlement in August 2020 to fully fund adults (19+) with low digital skills to undertake an Essential Digital Skills Qualification, up to Level 1. The department has further enhanced the offer by introducing Digital Functional Skills qualifications in August 2023. These qualifications were developed against employer supported National Standards and provide learners with the essential digital skills they need to participate actively in life, work and society.
The department has also taken steps to embed essential digital skills training as part of study programmes for 16–19-year-olds. Where students are identified as having low levels of digital skills, education providers integrate essential digital skills development, where it is needed, into their learning programme.
Formal qualifications are not appropriate for everyone, which is why the department also funds community learning and other non-regulated learning, such as building confidence in essential digital skills, through the AEB. Many local authorities and other further education providers are already delivering these courses that help equip adults with the essential digital skills they need for work, life and further learning.
The department is investing in employer-led technical skills and education, with courses and training in digital subjects often at the forefront of our reforms, from digital literacy to skills for advanced digital roles. These are key in expanding our offer and providing alternative routes, as the department is aware that the traditional route does not suit everyone or every community. For example:
Through the skills reforms, the department is continuing to ensure learners are supported, including those who need the most support, to train, retrain and upskill so they can climb the ladder of opportunity towards better jobs, better wellbeing and better options for the future.