Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The department does not measure staff retention.
Those leaving the organisation undertake an exit interview on a voluntary basis. The department uses the outputs of these to inform the actions it takes around staff retention, including:
Improving the diversity of the organisation - we are publishing revised guidance for applicants and hiring managers to increase the diversity of our hires, and intend to increase the amount of outreach work we do to attract the widest possible applicant pool.
Making our organisation more inclusive - we are focussing our efforts on areas such as social mobility, and inclusive leadership.
Improving the capability of our line managers - particularly around better coaching for career development.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on considering the evidence required to access flexibilities to standard English and mathematics requirements for apprenticeships.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Achieving a good standard in English and mathematics is important to longer term career prospects and improving social mobility, with research showing that achieving English and mathematics qualifications can correlate to higher earning potential. This is why the department provides funding for all apprentices to achieve up to a Level 2 in English and mathematics. Providers can access funding where apprentices require additional learning support.
The department also recognises that some groups require more flexibility to achieve English and mathematics qualifications. There are already flexibilities in place which allow apprentices who have Education Health and Care (EHC) plans to achieve their apprenticeship with lower entry Level 3 English and mathematics.
In addition, from 1 May 2023 to 1 May 2024 the department is conducting a pilot which considers how other apprentices with learning difficulties and disabilities, but without an EHC plan, could access these same flexibilities, in line with our objectives to support all apprentices to achieve. The department will share the outcomes of the pilot in due course.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to conduct a pilot study of varying standard requirements on English and mathematics for apprenticeships.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Achieving a good standard in English and mathematics is important to longer term career prospects and improving social mobility, with research showing that achieving English and mathematics qualifications can correlate to higher earning potential. This is why the department provides funding for all apprentices to achieve up to a Level 2 in English and mathematics. Providers can access funding where apprentices require additional learning support.
The department also recognises that some groups require more flexibility to achieve English and mathematics qualifications. There are already flexibilities in place which allow apprentices who have Education Health and Care (EHC) plans to achieve their apprenticeship with lower entry Level 3 English and mathematics.
In addition, from 1 May 2023 to 1 May 2024 the department is conducting a pilot which considers how other apprentices with learning difficulties and disabilities, but without an EHC plan, could access these same flexibilities, in line with our objectives to support all apprentices to achieve. The department will share the outcomes of the pilot in due course.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he made of the potential merits of active travel for wheelchair users; and if his Department will provide funding to Active Travel England for initiatives to help improve the physical and mental health of wheelchair users.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department for Transport (DfT) leads in Government on active travel, working with and through Active Travel England. Active travel comprises walking, wheeling, and cycling. Increased physical activity, including through active travel, can have significant health benefits. DfT published its Inclusive Transport Strategy in 2020. This strategy will help ensure that disabled people are able to move around freely through the pedestrian environment and use it to access other modes of transport. If using a cycle, whether as a mobility aid or not, they will be able to use inclusive cycle infrastructure to support their journey. We have made no specific assessment of the potential merits of active travel for wheelchair users.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which Ministers sit on the cross-government ministerial board for care leavers; how many times the board has met in the last 12 months; and if she will publish the board's minutes for the last 12 months.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Care Leavers Inter-Ministerial Board is co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Education, and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Ministers that sit on the Board include:
The Ministerial Board has met twice in the last year. Minutes of meetings are not published.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker on what dates in the last 20 years full scale evacuation drills of the House of Lords parts of the Palace of Westminster were undertaken, and which of these involved (1) the whole Palace building occupied by the Lords or parts, (2) the main Committee corridor, (3) an evacuation whilst the House was sitting, (4) the use of volunteer staff, (5) the general public present in the building as well as the relevant staff members, and (6) the provision of reports including timings and lessons learned, and whether copies of the reports on these events will be placed in the Library of the House.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Annual Fire Drills are required to be established and implemented by the Responsible Persons as set out in Article 15 (a) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The records that have been possible to investigate do not provide detail of evacuations for the past 20 years. The information below, taken from Fire Safety Committee reports, details full evacuations across the Estate on the following dates:
2016: 29 February and 31 October
2017: 10 July
2018: 21 May and 17 December
2019: 24 June
2020: Evacuation drills were scheduled for June and December but were postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions and advice on social distancing
2021: 13 September
2022: 7 February and 6 December
2023: 22 May
1. All fire drills are undertaken across the whole of The Palace of Westminster.
2. The main Committee corridor is evacuated under the Palace of Westminster drill.
3. None of the drills listed above have been undertaken while the House is sitting. The Services Committee discussed a possible evacuation when the Palace is at its busiest at its July 2023 meeting.
4. The efficacy of the evacuation process relies on suitably trained staff across the estate to assist with each evacuation. House of Lords Doorkeepers have received specific fire safety training on the evacuation of the Chamber. Other areas are managed by Security staff and House of Lords administration staff who have volunteered to be Fire Marshals and have undertaken training on evacuations. Specific drills have used volunteers to simulate mobility impaired persons in June 2019 and December 2022, and as part of an evacuation of a Lords Committee drill in January 2020.
5. All drills incorporate the general public and all staff working in the area, they also incorporate any other events happening in the Palace at the time including line of route tours, catering events and educational tours.
6. All evacuations lead to reports issued to the Fire Safety Committee. Actions arising from these reports are communicated to the House of Lords Services Committee and are reported on by both the Director of Estates for the House of Lords and the Fire Safety Team. The minutes of the Services Committee are available online and in the Printed Paper Office.
The Estates and Fire Risk Management Team also report annually on the completion statistics for fire training across the House of Lords Estate and on the latest fire drills undertaken.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to take steps to support (a) De Montfort University and (b) the University of Leicester to increase the availability of degree apprenticeships.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Degree apprenticeships provide people with high-quality training and are important in supporting productivity, social mobility and widening participation in higher education (HE) and employment.
The department has seen year-on-year growth of degree-level apprenticeships (Levels 6 and 7), with over 188,000 starts since their introduction in the 2014/15 academic year, and wants to further accelerate the growth of degree apprenticeships.
The department invested £8 million in the 2022/23 financial year through the Strategic Priorities Grant to enable HE institutions to grow degree level apprenticeship provision and form new employer partnerships. Both De Montfort University and the University of Leicester were successful in receiving funding.
The University of Leicester also recently launched the Space Systems Engineer degree level apprenticeship, which will offer new, exciting opportunities for people wanting to start or progress in the space industry.
To support providers to further expand their existing apprenticeship offers, the department is now providing an additional £40 million over the next two years through the Strategic Priorities Grant, and encourages both universities to apply for this funding when the competitive bidding process is launched later this year.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting people with autism from the under occupancy penalty on the grounds of their sensory needs.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The removal of the spare room subsidy (RSRS) policy seeks to encourage greater mobility within the social rented sector.
There are no plans to review the policy, and there are easements which allow for the provision of an additional bedroom in certain circumstances, such as to support the needs of disabled people.
Where a member of the household is, by virtue of their disability, not able to share a bedroom and is in receipt of a qualifying disability benefit, they are entitled to claim for an additional bedroom. The same applies where someone requires and receives overnight care on a regular basis from a non-resident carer, providing they meet qualifying criteria.
Where additional support is required, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available for those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. Since 2011 we have provided nearly £1.6 billion in funding to local authorities for DHPs.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 1 June 2023 to Question 186357 on Incontinence: Products, how the most economically advantageous tender approach in relation to procurement of absorbent continence products takes into account (a) whole system costs, and (b) item pricing; and what steps he is taking to help ensure the approach (i) does not deter product innovation, (ii) does not adversely impact patient quality of life and health outcomes, (iii) decrease resilience in the supply chain and (iv) incur additional costs.
Answered by Will Quince
The NHS Supply Chain have a disposable continence framework in place which runs until August 2025. All suppliers are awarded onto the framework, with evaluation based on the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT). Financial and non-financial evaluations are undertaken independently of each other. When a trust selects a supplier, the trust will evaluate potential suppliers on the framework, evaluating the subjective, qualitative features of ease of use, comfort, comparative reduction in leakages, quality of life and health outcomes.
NHS Supply Chain are currently in the process of working on two separate value-based procurement projects, both of which aim to concentrate on leaks, reduction in mobility, loss of dignity, reduction in quality of life, or risk of skin infections and pressure ulcers.
The Government's new Medical Technology Strategy, published in February 2023, set out how the health and social care system can reliably access safe, effective and innovative medical technologies that support the continued delivery of high-quality care, outstanding patient safety and excellent patient outcomes in a way that makes the best use of taxpayer money. To deliver value for money and affordability across the whole patient pathway, DHSC, NHS Supply Chain and NHS England are building on work to develop a consistent methodology for value-based procurement of innovative products.
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 encourage more people to take up higher apprenticeships.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Higher and degree level apprenticeships provide people with high quality training and are important in supporting productivity, social mobility and widening participation in higher education and employment.
In the 2021/22 academic year, there were over 106,000 apprenticeship starts at levels 4-7. That is 7.6% higher than the previous year. Starts at levels 6 and 7 increased 10.3% in 2021/22 to over 43,000 when compared to the previous year.
Employers have developed over 310 high quality apprenticeship standards at levels 4,5,6 and 7 in industries such as engineering and manufacturing, health and science, digital and transport and logistics to help meet their industry skills needs.
The department wants to accelerate the growth of higher and degree apprenticeships across all regions and encourage higher education providers to expand their existing offers or develop new ones. The department is therefore providing an additional £40 million in funding over the next two years, on top of the £8 million investment in the 2022/23 financial year.
The department continues to promote higher and degree level apprenticeships to employers in all sectors and regions, and it is for individual employers to choose which apprenticeships they offer, and at what level, according to their needs.
The department publishes the higher and degree apprenticeship vacancy listing twice a year, with the next released planned for November, which will highlight over 350 vacancies across the country that are available for young people to apply for in 2023 and 2024. The vacancy listing is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-and-degree-apprenticeships.
The department is working hard to ensure that young people across the country get the right information to help them decide on the best route for their future. From autumn 2023, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service will expand their service so that young people can see more personalised options, including degree apprenticeships. From 2024, students will then be able to apply for apprenticeships alongside degrees, meaning young people can find the right option for them, all in one place