Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of Outer London pay scales on (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers in (i) the London Borough of Hounslow and (ii) Outer London.
Answered by Nick Gibb
This Government is concentrating funding in the teaching profession with school funding in 2024/25 due to reach its highest level in history per pupil, and in real terms, as measured by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The Department implemented in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s (STRB) recommendations for the 2022/23 academic year of an 8.9% pay rise for early career teachers outside London, and a 5% pay rise for experienced teachers. This is the highest pay award in 30 years.
This uplift raised starting salaries to over £32,400 in Outer London, including Hounslow. The Department hopes that further rises next academic year will see starting salaries reach £30,000 in all areas of England, ensuring that they are competitive relative to alternative professional graduate starting salaries.
Decisions on pay ranges and allowances, such as the London pay scales, are based on recommendations by the STRB, the independent body that advises on teachers’ pay and conditions. This year’s written evidence to the STRB sets out the Government’s thinking on pay awards this year, detailing how these need to strike a careful balance between recognising the vital importance of public sector workers, whilst not increasing the country’s debt further or exacerbating inflation. The evidence includes an assessment of recruitment and retention trends broken down geographically, including for areas such as Outer London. The final pay award decisions for the 2023/24 academic year will be determined later this year.
The Department announced a financial incentives package of up to £181 million for those starting Initial Teacher Training in the 2023/24 academic year, a £52 million increase on the last cycle. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing.
The Department also provides a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools nationally, including within Education Investment Areas. The eligibility criteria and list of eligible schools is on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has carried out an impact assessment on the impact of Outer London pay scales on teacher recruitment.
Answered by Nick Gibb
This Government is concentrating funding in the teaching profession with school funding in 2024/25 due to reach its highest level in history per pupil, and in real terms, as measured by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The Department implemented in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s (STRB) recommendations for the 2022/23 academic year of an 8.9% pay rise for early career teachers outside London, and a 5% pay rise for experienced teachers. This is the highest pay award in 30 years.
This uplift raised starting salaries to over £32,400 in Outer London, including Hounslow. The Department hopes that further rises next academic year will see starting salaries reach £30,000 in all areas of England, ensuring that they are competitive relative to alternative professional graduate starting salaries.
Decisions on pay ranges and allowances, such as the London pay scales, are based on recommendations by the STRB, the independent body that advises on teachers’ pay and conditions. This year’s written evidence to the STRB sets out the Government’s thinking on pay awards this year, detailing how these need to strike a careful balance between recognising the vital importance of public sector workers, whilst not increasing the country’s debt further or exacerbating inflation. The evidence includes an assessment of recruitment and retention trends broken down geographically, including for areas such as Outer London. The final pay award decisions for the 2023/24 academic year will be determined later this year.
The Department announced a financial incentives package of up to £181 million for those starting Initial Teacher Training in the 2023/24 academic year, a £52 million increase on the last cycle. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing.
The Department also provides a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools nationally, including within Education Investment Areas. The eligibility criteria and list of eligible schools is on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of withdrawing funding from some BTEC qualifications on levels of future recruitment in the (a) public and (b) travel and tourism sector.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Qualifications reform will ensure that A levels and T Levels are at the heart of most young people’s study programmes, as these qualifications offer the best progression for students. The department will also fund other qualifications where they are necessary, high-quality and lead to good progression. This includes alternative academic qualifications, such as BTECs, which could be studied alongside A levels to support entry to public sector occupations, such as the police. The new system will also support technical occupational entry qualifications where these cover Institution for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IFATE) occupational standards not covered by T Levels, such as in travel and tourism and public services.
Unlike current alternatives to A levels such as BTECs, T Levels, and other new technical qualifications at level 3 will be designed in line with IFATE occupational standards. The standards can be found here: https://occupational-maps.instituteforapprenticeships.org/.
These standards have been designed by employers to ensure that young people have the knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers need in the workplace. Alongside the highly successful apprenticeships programme and the increasing availability of T Levels, this represents a transformation of technical education to ensure that it meets the needs of employers in the future and provides excellent outcomes for young people.
There are no T Levels specifically in travel and tourism or public/protective services. However, there are several occupational standards at level 3 on which reformed travel and tourism qualifications could be based, and the department fully anticipates awarding organisations to be adapting existing qualifications and basing them on these standards. We anticipate that current large qualifications in travel and tourism will be reformed to align with the relevant occupational standards so that they can be approved as technical qualifications going forward.
The department regularly meets with colleges, stakeholders and employers to discuss the development of this new technical education landscape. We have also provided extensive support to colleges to facilitate the transition to T Levels, such as online guidance materials, workshops, and webinars for employers to attend, as well as offering direct, hands-on support.
The newly updated provider support package supports providers in delivering T Levels, but from September 2023 will also aid providers in developing effective employer engagement strategies to aid them to source industry placements and engage with employers at scale.
Earlier this year, the department launched a £12 million one-year employer support fund that will provide financial assistance to employers offering placements in the 2023/24 financial year, to help with costs such as administration, support with training staff who will supervise learners or tangible costs such as personal protective equipment or vaccinations.
We have also launched the T Levels and Industry Placement Support for Employers website, which can be found here: https://employers.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb. The website offers guidance, case studies and more information about T Levels, specifically for employers. Following this, in November 2022, we launched the ‘Connect with employers interested in T Levels’ service, which enables providers to find employers who have expressed an interested in T Levels and industry placements. This service can be found here: https://connect.tlevels.gov.uk/start.
The department regularly discusses qualification reform with stakeholders and listen to their concerns.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry proposals for a new Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Growth, including the proposals for (a) an investment facility, (b) to build a data recruitment centre and (c) a fund for a Medicines Equity Partnership.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department carefully considers all evidence in the public domain on matters relating to the growth and competitiveness of the United Kingdom life science sector, including the recent report by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.
The Department of Health and Social Care is in close discussions with Ministers from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Business and Trade about the business environment for life sciences and its impact on investment.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department conducted an equality impact assessment in advance of its most recent round of Initial Teacher Training accreditation.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In the 2019 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, the Department committed to reviewing the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) market, with the aim to make it work more effectively.
The subsequent ITT accreditation process was recommended by an expert advisory group and implemented following public consultation. It was designed to assess capacity to deliver high quality, reformed ITT from September 2024, in line with the new Quality Requirements identified in the advisory group’s ITT market review, as opposed to assessing the quality of current or past provision.
The Department considered all the issues raised during the consultation and engagement with the sector. In addition, the Department specifically invited views through the consultation on potential consequences of implementing the proposed Quality Requirements in relation to equalities issues. The Department also undertook an assessment of the potential equalities impacts of the reforms, and published ‘The ITT market review report - equalities impact assessment’. This report is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1037339/Government_response_to_the_initial_teacher_training__ITT__market_review_report_-_equalities_impact_assessment.pdf.
Reforms to the ITT market will help all trainees across the country receive quality ITT provision and further support at every stage of their teaching career.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has contracted work to a business named in round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme within the last three years.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
All employers need to pay their staff correctly. Paying the minimum wage is not optional, it’s the law. Under the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme, employers who have previously broken minimum wage law can be publicly named. The Department for Business and Trade follows a clear and thorough process allowing firms to make representations against being named if they meet our published criteria.
The MOJ entered into contracts, during the last 3 years, with 2 companies listed in round 18 of the National Wage Naming Scheme, though only 1 was made after publication of the list and Calor Gas had already taken steps to rectify the issue. The details are:
- Calor Gas, contract for the supply of LPG across the MOJ estate from June 2022 to May 2024 following a competition via the relevant Crown Commercial Services Framework. https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/134be1dc-a93f-4fc0-8159-c39aae7a3c2f?origin=SearchResults&p=1
- Centre Circle Event Management Ltd, contract for prison education support at HMP Rochester. This was awarded prior to publication (Jan 21) and has now expired (Feb 22). https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/8ba63863-9e53-4f4d-8553-fcc32a38ea58?origin=SearchResults&p=1
Additionally, Hays joined the Crown Commercial Service Public Sector Recruitment (PSR) framework (Call Off Contract from Public Sector Resourcing (PSR) - Contracts Finder) in 2019, before publication of round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme.
For our current suppliers (Calor Gas and Hays) we are working with Crown Commercial Services to ensure that these suppliers are fully compliant and have fully complied with the terms of their framework.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has contracted work to a business named in round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme in the last 3 years.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has contracted work to a business named in round 18 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme in the last 3 years. The Supplier has been engaged to provide recruitment services and supply contingent labour, through a regulated government Framework procured centrally for all government departments to use as needed. Through this Framework, the Supplier is governed by terms and conditions, overseen by the Framework Manager, and has agreed to the Framework rate card for the delivery of services.
Details of all government contracts, above £10,000 for the core Department and above £25,000 for the wider public sector, are published to Contracts Finder as part of the Department’s commitment to transparency.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on industrial relations and service provision of the 3.5 percent pay increase recommendation to the NHS Pay Review Body for 2023-24, set out the department's evidence document of 21 February 2023.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government hugely values our National Health Service staff and as set out in the NHS Public Review Body (NHSPRB) evidence for 2023/24, have committed to give them a pay rise in the next financial year. In July 2022 the Government accepted in full the NHSPRB recommendations for 2022/23 and backdated all pay uplifts to 1 April 2022.
We recognise that global economic headwinds are putting household budgets under additional pressure this year. The Government will talk to all unions who are willing to discuss what is fair and reasonable recognising the vital role public sector workers play but also the wider economic pressures facing the United Kingdom.
Ultimately, the Pay Review Bodies will consider the evidence submitted by Government alongside other evidence and base their recommendations on several factors including the economic context, cost of living, recruitment and retention, morale, and motivation of NHS staff.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) applications were made and (b) interviews conducted for the role of (i) business member and (ii) public sector member on the Armed Forces Pay Review Body in 2022.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
All appointments to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body are conducted in accordance with the 2016 Public Appointments Governance Code and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Paragraph 3.2 of the Code states that: "Ministers should consider the advice of Advisory Assessment Panels but are not bound by their views. Ministers may therefore reject a panel’s advice on the merit of candidates and choose to re-run a competition with a new panel. Ministers may choose to appoint someone who is not deemed “appointable” by the Advisory Assessment Panel. In this case, they must consult the Commissioner for Public Appointments in good time before a public announcement and will be required to justify their decision publicly."
We are finalising the appointment of one member and currently holding a vacancy for a public sector member. For the Business member recruitment campaign, seventeen applications were received with six applicants invited to interview (one candidate withdrew before being interviewed). For the Public Sector member recruitment campaign, twenty-three applications were received with six applicants invited to interview.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many vacancies there are on the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
All appointments to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body are conducted in accordance with the 2016 Public Appointments Governance Code and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Paragraph 3.2 of the Code states that: "Ministers should consider the advice of Advisory Assessment Panels but are not bound by their views. Ministers may therefore reject a panel’s advice on the merit of candidates and choose to re-run a competition with a new panel. Ministers may choose to appoint someone who is not deemed “appointable” by the Advisory Assessment Panel. In this case, they must consult the Commissioner for Public Appointments in good time before a public announcement and will be required to justify their decision publicly."
We are finalising the appointment of one member and currently holding a vacancy for a public sector member. For the Business member recruitment campaign, seventeen applications were received with six applicants invited to interview (one candidate withdrew before being interviewed). For the Public Sector member recruitment campaign, twenty-three applications were received with six applicants invited to interview.