Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office Digital, Data and Technology strategy refers to accessibility several times and we have published our Accessibility Standard and guidance.
Our Accessibility Assurance team has 4 consultants. They drive greater accessibility of the products developed/procured/used by Home Office, to reduce the risks that disabled people cannot use our services. They improve the capability, confidence and culture of teams to meet our Accessibility Standard and legal requirements. Together we develop and embed the standard into processes and professions, then assess the efficacy of controls to meet it.
For example our intranet team recently influenced Microsoft to fix a number of accessibility issues in SharePoint which will benefit our own users and others around the world.
We provide a monthly Introduction to Accessibility course that is open to all staff and mandatory for those working in user centred design. After a year of training our Quality Assurance and Test colleagues, embedded in delivery teams, have taken on primary responsibility for testing against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
We are organisational members of the International Association for Accessibility Professionals and the Business Disablity Forum as well as managing the cross-government accessibility community. We use these to stay abreast of the latest thinking and good practices.We are also working strategically across government on procurement policy, to get the commercial sector to supply accessible products for staff and public users.
User-centred design (UCD) and accessibility are integral to our approach to improve usability of the Home Office's digital services. We are committed to making our services and products more usable in our Home Office Digital, Data and Technology strategy and departmental outcome delivery plan.
The Home Office has a thriving community of over 300 practitioners in UCD, which comprises User Research, Interaction Design, Service Design and Content Design roles. Our UCD practitioners are deployed across projects in migration and borders, public protection and internal services. There is a professional support and management structure in place to oversee and develop our practice and provide assurance, tools and training to ensure our work is of high quality.
Our community of practitioners follow the best practice from the Government Service Standard, which places the emphasis on understanding user's needs. We also have a usability testing facility in Croydon and we are a Market Research Society Company Partner.
Our current focus in UCD is growing our community through permanent recruitment and our digital development programme.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of Ofsted have previous experience in the sector that they regulate.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The role of Ofsted’s chair and non-executive board is to determine strategic priorities, objectives and targets for Ofsted, and to provide challenge and support in relation to the inspectorate’s overall work and performance.
Board members are appointed by the Secretary of State and recruitment processes follow the public appointment guidelines. All board members have the appropriate strategic and corporate expertise to perform their roles effectively. That includes board members with experience of working in the sectors in which Ofsted operates, as well as other relevant experience, including of other regulators, other services and third sector organisations that support children and young people. Ofsted’s board membership is set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted/about/our-governance.
Recruitment of Ofsted’s employees is a matter for Ofsted, as a separate government department. I have therefore asked His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, to write to the hon. Member for Shipley directly on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the (a) quality and (b) accessibility of courses requiring specialist instruction at further education colleges in London on (i) economic growth and (ii) public services.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Further education (FE) teachers are pivotal to the delivery of great student outcomes and to training the next generation of skilled workers to help boost productivity and drive national economic growth.
The department works closely with the sector to continually review the evidence around the impact of workforce supply and demand. The department knows the FE sector will need to grow the overall size of its teaching workforce due to the roll-out of T Levels which require more teaching hours, delivery of maths to 18, demographic pressures and the delivery of other important skills reforms.
We are making significant investments to support the recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers, including specialist teachers. The Spending Review 2021 made an extra £1.6 billion available for 16-19 education in the 2024/25 financial year compared with 2021/22. We are investing £125 million of available funds in the2023/24 financial year for 16-19 education to increase the national funding rate by 2.2% from £4,542 to £4,642, and boost specific programme cost weightings by 10%, to support the additional costs of recruiting and retaining specialist teachers in construction, manufacturing, engineering, and digital subject areas.
In addition, Institutions in London and the South East get additional funding through an area cost uplift to address the higher costs of delivering education in this part of England. For example, FE colleges in London attract a 20% uplift (inner London) and a 12% uplift (outer London), to their 16-19 funding allocations.
The adult education budget (AEB) is devolved to the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority. The Mayor is now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education for London residents and allocation of the AEB to providers.
The department is supporting teacher recruitment in the sector through a national campaign to encourage industry professionals to become FE teachers.
We have supported the creation of new, high-quality routes into FE teaching, including a revised Level 5 Learning and Skills Teacher apprenticeship for those planning to work in the FE sector. The department is also providing bursaries worth up to £29,000 each tax-free to support FE teacher training in priority subject areas for the academic year 2023/24. The Taking Teaching Further (TTF) programme has supported around 1,000 industry professionals to train as FE teachers since 2018. In addition, the department is piloting a new £6,000 financial incentive for TTF recruits teaching in some of the most hard-to-fill subject areas, such as digital, construction and the built environment, engineering and manufacturing and maths. Finally, early career support is being offered for teachers in the form of access to a trained mentor through the Teacher Mentoring Programme which was announced in March 2023.
The department will continue to work with the sector to consider options for providing further support so that all learners are able to benefit from high-quality teaching.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the number of applications received for jobs in prisons at grade band three to five in each year since 2010.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Submission Year | Number of Applications -Band 3 | Number of Applications -Band 4 | Number of Applications -Band 5 | Total |
2017 | 109,520 | 6,245 | 2,647 | 118,412 |
2018 | 108,259 | 10,182 | 6,152 | 124,593 |
2019 | 73,709 | 11,094 | 4,820 | 89,623 |
2020 | 95,667 | 12,143 | 4,072 | 111,882 |
2021 | 84,596 | 12,739 | 5,308 | 102,643 |
2022 | 112,033 | 10,366 | 4,425 | 126,824 |
2023 (January to March) | 37,032 | 3,537 | 1,468 | 42,037 |
Notes
1. Data was extracted from the Oleeo recruitment system. Oleeo is a live system, so records are subject to change.
2. The figures used here are based on applications submitted between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2023 inclusive.
3. Data was only collected on Oleeo from 1 April 2017 and so data is not available for earlier dates.
4. Data for 2023 is incomplete and is only available up to and including 31 March 2023.
5. Data provided shows the number of applications rather than the number of applicants since Oleeo data is at the application level.
6. Figures included in our response only cover data available in our Oleeo system, so data for any recruitment that is not entirely processed on Oleeo will be incomplete.
7. These figures include internal progression to Band 4 and 5 roles.
8. These figures include applications to the ‘Unlocked Graduate Scheme’, and to Operational Support Grade to Prison Officer / Youth Justice Worker fast track campaigns.
9. Figures do not include recruitment campaigns managed by external companies.
10. This data only includes recruitment for Public Sector Prisons (PSP).
11. The data request for PQ 192091 is similar to PQ 188603 and PQ 125377. If comparing these data sets, please note that figures in PQ 188603 and PQ 125377 cover applications for prison officer roles only. Data in PQ 192091 cover applications for all roles in Public Sector Prisons.
12. Applications in prisons relate to any vacancies in Public Sector Prisons in England and Wales. This includes non-frontline vacancies and vacancies which list the base location as a non-prison establishment. It excludes anyone working in HMPPS HQ or the Probation Service. Due to cost limitations with the data, we are not able to identify all vacancies specifically located in prisons.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to incentivise employers in the (a) public and (b) private sector to take on apprentices.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department has developed an employer-led apprenticeship system which allows employers to design the apprenticeships they need and directly access funding for the apprenticeships that they want, when they want it. There are currently over 670 high-quality apprenticeship standards available for employers across every sector to access.
The department wants to support more employers across the country to recruit new apprentices. We have introduced flexible training models, like flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, to make apprenticeships more accessible, and have improved the transfer system so levy-payers can make the most of their funds.
We recognise the important role that small-medium sized employers (SMEs) play in creating apprenticeship opportunities. In April 2023, we removed the limit to the number of apprentices that smaller employers can take on, making it easier for SMEs to grow their businesses with the skilled apprentices they need. The department also provides £1,000 to employers and training providers when they take on certain younger apprentices.
The department works closely with both private and public sector employers to develop and expand their apprenticeship programmes. Since April 2017, there have been over 280,000 apprenticeship starts from public sector employers, and new apprenticeship entry routes created for professions such as nursing and policing.
On the 22 June 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, gave a speech at the Skills for Growth Conference to an audience of public and private sector employers, discussing how we can create a workforce fit for the future and address the urgent recruitment needs of businesses through apprenticeships and skills.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the reasons that employers (a) offer and (b) do not offer apprenticeships.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department has developed an employer-led apprenticeship system which allows employers to design the apprenticeships they need and directly access funding for the apprenticeships that they want, when they want it. There are currently over 670 high-quality apprenticeship standards available for employers across every sector to access.
The department wants to support more employers across the country to recruit new apprentices. We have introduced flexible training models, like flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, to make apprenticeships more accessible, and have improved the transfer system so levy-payers can make the most of their funds.
We recognise the important role that small-medium sized employers (SMEs) play in creating apprenticeship opportunities. In April 2023, we removed the limit to the number of apprentices that smaller employers can take on, making it easier for SMEs to grow their businesses with the skilled apprentices they need. The department also provides £1,000 to employers and training providers when they take on certain younger apprentices.
The department works closely with both private and public sector employers to develop and expand their apprenticeship programmes. Since April 2017, there have been over 280,000 apprenticeship starts from public sector employers, and new apprenticeship entry routes created for professions such as nursing and policing.
On the 22 June 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, gave a speech at the Skills for Growth Conference to an audience of public and private sector employers, discussing how we can create a workforce fit for the future and address the urgent recruitment needs of businesses through apprenticeships and skills.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to conduct clinical trial approvals by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the UK's life sciences sector.
Answered by Will Quince
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is committed to making regulatory decisions in accordance with statutory timeframes. The MHRA has recently undertaken a significant recruitment exercise to bring on board new specialist staff to increase clinical trial assessor capacity within the Agency. The MHRA are supplementing this new assessor capacity with additional fixed-term resource of appropriately experienced and qualified specialists to support the training and supervision of new staff.
The MHRA continue to develop plans to increase staff capability and expertise, and to review internal processes for efficiencies. To that end, significant progress has been made to draft proposals for how a risk-proportionate approach to clinical trial assessments could be implemented.
Following public consultation, the MHRA plans to reform national legislation to deliver a world-class sovereign regulatory environment for clinical trials that will support the development of innovative medicines and ensure that the UK retains and grows its reputation as a world leading base for life sciences.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the terms and conditions are for post of the Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom, including the (a) annual salary, (b) pension entitlements and costs and (c) working hours.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department received 16 applications for the role of Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom. Professor Arif Ahmed was appointed to the role on 1 June 2023, and will begin at the Office for Students (OfS) on 14 August.
The Director was appointed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education in the same way that other board members of the OfS are appointed, under the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. Officials at the department managed the recruitment process. The department has not conducted an assessment of the costs involved.
The Director role is a full-time executive position. It is a fixed term appointment, with the option of being extended up to a maximum of ten years. The role was advertised with a starting salary of £99,164, but this may be higher due to pay rises in some areas of the public sector in 2022. The Director’s working hours and starting salary will be agreed in his contract with the OfS. The Director will be eligible to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people applied for the Director of Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom position at the Office for Students.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department received 16 applications for the role of Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom. Professor Arif Ahmed was appointed to the role on 1 June 2023, and will begin at the Office for Students (OfS) on 14 August.
The Director was appointed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education in the same way that other board members of the OfS are appointed, under the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. Officials at the department managed the recruitment process. The department has not conducted an assessment of the costs involved.
The Director role is a full-time executive position. It is a fixed term appointment, with the option of being extended up to a maximum of ten years. The role was advertised with a starting salary of £99,164, but this may be higher due to pay rises in some areas of the public sector in 2022. The Director’s working hours and starting salary will be agreed in his contract with the OfS. The Director will be eligible to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money was spent on the recruitment process for the Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department received 16 applications for the role of Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom. Professor Arif Ahmed was appointed to the role on 1 June 2023, and will begin at the Office for Students (OfS) on 14 August.
The Director was appointed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education in the same way that other board members of the OfS are appointed, under the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. Officials at the department managed the recruitment process. The department has not conducted an assessment of the costs involved.
The Director role is a full-time executive position. It is a fixed term appointment, with the option of being extended up to a maximum of ten years. The role was advertised with a starting salary of £99,164, but this may be higher due to pay rises in some areas of the public sector in 2022. The Director’s working hours and starting salary will be agreed in his contract with the OfS. The Director will be eligible to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.